uSwitch.com broadband news July 2005

21 July 2005: Broadband overtakes dial up for first time in UK

The broadband market has seen massive development and competition over the past year, which is reflected in the latest news that more than half (50.7%) of all internet subscriptions are now broadband connections. The increasing number of broadband packages available at affordable prices to suit any pocket mean that there really is little reason to remain on a dial up deal now, something that consumers are clearly switching on to as dial up subscriptions continue to decline.

Broadband growth in Britain has been phenomenal in recent years and is outstripping that of most other industrialised nations. As consumer choice continues to improve - with prices falling and speeds increasing -growth is set to continue. There were over 6 million broadband homes in the UK at the end of 2004 - an increase of more than 90% from the end of 2003 - and this figure now stands at over 7.5 million.

The era of dial up is most definitely over and all eyes are on innovation in the broadband market. Even internet 'dabblers' who may have felt that there was no need to upgrade, are now recognizing the benefits of broadband - simple things like sending emails, surfing the internet, shopping online and sending and downloading small files are suddenly much faster and more convenient and with prices as low as £9.99 in some areas, compared with £12.49 for dial up, there's no longer a financial barrier to getting broadband.

15 July 2005: IPTV begins to take off

IPTV begins to take off in the UK. The service will allow users to watch and access a wide range of new media and content on the Television by utilising their broadband connections. Telewest have begun a trial of IPTV via their Blueyonder service and Sky have also issued a statement that IPTV will become available via their portals. Homechoice already offer an IPTV based service to customers in the U.K.

15 July 2005: Broadband products continue to improve

ntl introduces a special offer dropping the price of 1Mb Broadband from £17.99 to £9.99 per month for the first year of subscription, after 12 months the price returns back to £17.99.

Telewest drop the price of blueyonder 512k from £19.99 to £14.99 for the first year.

The price of blueyonder 1Mb is also dropped to £19.99.

Onetel introduces a bundled 2Mb product. For the uncapped product the cost is £23.99 per month with no set up fees, however for the 2GB capped version the cost is £19.99 with no set up fees.