BT eyes SMEs for faster ADSL

BTopenworld has unveiled two broadband ADSL offerings aimed specifically at smaller businesses.

The business 1000Plus and business 2000Plus services will have download speeds of 1Mbps and 2Mbps respectively - almost 20 and 40 times that offered by standard 56K modems. They both enable direct internet connections for four PCs or more in an Ethernet network.

But they come at a price - 1000Plus costs £153 (including VAT) per month, while 2000Plus costs £188 per month. Both also have an upfront installation fee of £260.

The ADSL offerings incorporate ISP charges and metering, so there are no additional monthly charges for these always-on services. However, BT does not provide firewall protection with the packages, which will be necessary for businesses protecting themselves from hackers trying to access their networks through the permanent link.

BTopenworld president Ben Andradi said the offerings represent a significant saving for smaller businesses, in terms of the cost of bandwidth. Previously, businesses wanting this much bandwidth would have had to install expensive fibre optic leased lines.

But for small businesses which are still not prepared to pay the full cost of first year connections (£2138.50 for 1000Plus and £2561.50 for 2000Plus), BTopenworld also offers its base business 500 and business 500Plus services. The latter is a multi-user connection, which costs £118 per month, while the single-user business 500 connection costs around £47 per month.

BT is aware that these last two packages have the potential to kill off its ISDN offerings in the SME arena. A price comparison on its website shows the business 500 connection costing £52.75 per month, all in, while an ISDN package with internet connection (downloads at 64Kbps) costs £46.34. That's a close to tenfold speed increase for just an extra £78 per year.