Those of you who use the Internet from home will be familiar with the “World Wide Wait”. The graphic content of some web sites has become so intense that it seems to take forever to download a page of information. And if you want to download files containing, for example, video clips, music or manuals from the Internet, well not only could you go and make a cuppa but you could make a three-course meal in the time it takes!

One of the reasons that the graphic content, and indeed file sizes, have increased is because more and more people worldwide now have access to super-fast Internet connections. Therefore, there is now a demand for the fancy “bells and whistles” used in web page design to make the pages more attractive. Again, because of the increasing use of high-speed Internet connections, there is now a demand for high quality video and music files. Manuals or other documentation that just used to be text based now include high-resolution graphics, all of which increase the size of the file to be downloaded.

All of this is very nice for those that have access to the broadband Internet connections that provide these high-speed links but what about those of us who are stuck with normal modem connections?

Well, for now, we in Coltishall are stuck with them. However, we can do something about it. Recently BT has buckled to demand for more high-speed services in rural areas by setting up a registration scheme. Anybody wanting to sign up for ADSL broadband services should register through a service provider who will in turn feed numbers into a central BT Wholesale database.

The broadband registration database enables service providers to log end user registrations against a threshold level for the local exchange. When demand reaches the threshold for a particular exchange, BT Wholesale will inform service providers who will have 42 days to convert registrations into advance orders. When the number of orders confirmed meets required levels, and other technical criteria are met, the local exchange will be included in the build programme for ADSL deployment.

Unfortunately, Coltishall’s exchange is one of the many that have not yet had trigger levels set. However, the registration database will record interest against any exchange in the country. Should significant numbers of registrations be recorded against any exchange not previously reviewed, an individual costing review will be carried out and a threshold trigger level set.

The trigger levels that have been set for those exchanges reviewed to date have been between 200 and 750. The level set is dependant upon the cost of converting the exchange to use the current ADSL product. For example, there may be a need to increase the size of the building to included air-conditioning equipment. Sometimes, these works may result in the exchange not being viable for conversion, simply because the costs for that exchange would mean a trigger set so high that it could not be met. This recently happened to 74 exchanges reviewed.

However, if a particular exchange, after review, does not have a trigger level set, all is not lost. BT is pursuing alternative technical and commercial solutions for areas where demand for Broadband ADSL does not balance with the cost of upgrading the exchange. These include trials of satellite and wireless services and a number of joint public and private sector funding initiatives.

So if you use the Internet, and you want to help move Coltishall into the 21st Century then I urge you to register your interest with one of the service providers that are taking part in the registration scheme. A list of these is available at www.bt.com/broadband which has links to the service providers' web sites.

The above web site also provides access to a registration checker so you can check the registration level of our exchange. At the time of writing this article (4th January 2003) there were only 40 registrations, so a long way to go yet!

Benefits and Costs
ADSL Broadband will give you connection speeds of up to approximately ten times what you can currently get with a modem connected to your telephone line. ADSL uses your current telephone line (providing it passes certain line quality checks) with a special splitter to provide you with both telephone and Internet connections that can be used simultaneously. The modem used for the Internet connection is permanently connected to the Internet providing an “always on” connection. Hence, no more waiting for someone to get off the Internet to use the phone!

Monthly cost of ADSL can be as low as £20 with installation cost starting at around £85 “for a wires only” (self-installation of modem, splitter and filter) connection. See the list of broadband suppliers on www.bt.com/broadband for more details.

Trevor Williams

References:
www.dslguide.org/
www.btplc.com/Mediacentre/Archivenewsreleases/2002/