UK cable television provider NTL will offer 10Mbps as standard for broadband customers at no additional cost.
UK cable television provider NTL says it will offer 10Mbps as standard for broadband customers at no additional cost.
The cable company says customers that currently receive its 3Mbps service will be the first to be upgraded, by the end of the year.
There will be various usage allowances, including an unlimited usage option. Prices have yet to be announced.
NTL says that higher speeds of between 30Mbps and 50Mbps are ultimately possible through its cable network, or through ADSL2+ DSL broadband connections.
It says its vision “is to deliver this type of connection and associated new services”. These include high-definition television, 1,000 channel global radio, domestic video conferencing, global gaming, low-cost telephony and video email. The company is also encouraging content providers to create services that require higher speeds.
“Moving 1.5 million customers to a connection of up to 10Mb is a major initiative,” said Simon Duffy, chief executive of NTL. He said he was confident in being able to complete this in 2006 and called it “a major step towards delivering Britain’s digital future.”
NTL has over 1.4 million broadband customers in the UK. It has 3 million residential customers in total, and its network passes 7.9 million homes.
A merger with Telewest Broadband seems likely, which would in effect create a single cable company, able to compete more effectively in the television and broadband market.