Bulldog, the UK broadband brand now owned by Cable & Wireless, is reported to be planning to launch a video-on-demand service in the autumn.
One of the pioneers of local loop unbundling in the UK, Bulldog was acquired by Cable & Wireless last year. The company appointed a new chief executive in April, replacing founder Richard Greco. Emanuele Angelidis was previously chief executive of FastWeb, the leading broadband video, voice and data provider in Italy.
Bulldog launched an 8Mbps service without any download limit at the beginning of June. The company is now reported to be planning a broadband video-on-demand service and has appointed a head of entertainment, Elaine Safier, former strategy director with AOL Europe.
A Bulldog representative contacted by informitv said she could not confirm or deny plans for a video-on-demand service, saying that it was still early days and they were reviewing their options. An autumn launch as reported by some sources therefore seems unlikely.
Meanwhile, BT, which is aiming to launch its own video-on-demand offering next summer, is believed to be planning to offer an 8Mbps service, and is considering upgrades to ADSL2+, which could offer speeds of up to 20Mbps.
Cable operators NTL and Telewest have both said that they will now offer 10Mbps as the entry level for their broadband customers in the future.
Video Networks, which currently offers the HomeChoice broadband television service in the London area, is apparently planning to extend its channel line up and offer broadband speeds of up to 8Mbps.
While many users in the UK had to content themselves with 512Kbps a year ago, speeds of 1Mbps and 2Mpbs are becoming more common. With increased competition, together with new broadband standards, speeds are set to rise to the point at which video services are possible.