BT to launch ADSL service next week

BT will launch its high-speed internet access service for small businesses on Monday, but consumers will have to wait at least another month for the service.

The telco had planned to launch both services this month under the BTopenworld brand. A presentation given to the media in April said both services were "to be launched in July 2000".

But as vnunet.com reported last month, the roll-out of the consumer ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) service is to be delayed until September while BT carries out more intensive testing. This has also delayed the launch of its BTopenworld retail service.

BTopenworld allows for an 'always-on' internet connection with download speeds of between 512Kbps and 2Mbps.

Sources close to the company confirmed today that the consumer service, which uses a universal serial bus connection rather than an ethernet connection, would be not be launched until "August or September", although no date has been confirmed.

The single business user service is priced at £39.99 a month, with an installation fee of £150. Multi-user businesses will need to pay £99.99 a month, with a £260 installation fee, to connect four PCs and have up to 10 email addresses. More PCs can be connected using a company's own cabling, and download speeds will be increased from 512Kbps to 2Mbps in December.

The telco last month blamed internet service providers (ISPs) testing its ADSL equipment for not providing enough candidates to see how back-office issues, such as the running of billing and ordering systems, would cope under pressure.

BTopenworld's consumer service will be priced at the same rate as the single business user service.

Other ISPs, including Freeserve and Thus, also plan to launch ADSL services to compete with BTopenworld.