24Mbps broadband is here

Two of BT's rivals are threatening to steal its thunder in the high-speed broadband market by embracing ADSL2+, a cutting-edge technology that is much faster than standard ADSL broadband.

Be Unlimited started a pilot this week for ADSL2+ that will allow those involved in the trial to get broadband at up to 24Mbps downstream, and 1Mbps upstream. UK Online announced on Thursday that it will launch its own ADSL2+ services in October.

In contrast, BT's current broadband runs at a maximum speed of 2Mbps, although it is trialling speeds of up to 8Mbps.

Initially Be will offer its service from exchanges in the London area. This service will be available outside London within the next couple of months, according to Tania Hannaford, marketing director for Be.

Businesses can sign up for the new high-speed service and not be charged until the after the end of September this year, and will then pay £70 per month thereafter. Individual users can also trial the broadband service free of charge until the end of September, after which they will be charged £20 per month.

Users will not be charged a connection fee, and will also receive a Wi-Fi-enabled modem at no charge.

"This pilot would be fantastic for small businesses, but we're not setting up for time-critical businesses such as city traders," said a Be spokesperson. Whilst Be claims that tech support would be adequate for the average user, the spokesperson also made it clear that as this is a pilot scheme "there are bound to be a few glitches".

Be will use DSLAMs from Alcatel, and supply users with a Thompson 716g V5 wireless modem, which is optimised for VoIP and video-streaming applications.

Users can sign up for the Be pilot at the Be Web site.

UK Online says its 24Mbps broadband will cost under £30 per month, and will be available from local exchanges that have been unbundled by Easynet, which UK Online claims reaches 20 percent of the population, mostly in urban areas.

Consumers can register their interest at ukonline.net.