Comment Articles

Reliable broadband still needs backup

Guy Kewney AnchorDesk

Published: 10 Apr 2001 13:47 BST

This is particularly good news because of the number of DSL providers in the US which are going out of business -- sometimes with horrifying results.

The question worrying a lot of people is simple enough: are we likely to follow along behind the States, and see broadband suppliers die in droves, the way North Point did? And if we do, what can we do to protect ourselves?

First off, I think it's important to note that the US contains few lessons that apply to the UK. There is one! -- which I'll cover below, regarding business contracts. But otherwise, in the States, the regulations covering how DSL is sold, are utterly different from in the UK. Small, "incumbent local exchange carriers" or ILECs, can provide the basic service; and they can go out of business in a way that is simply unthinkable with BT.

In this country, the equipment that runs ADSL is provided by BT even when you buy your Internet broadband from someone else like FreeServe or Demon or Alcom; Freeserve could die tomorrow, without affecting the equipment you're connected to at the exchange.

That said, AT&T has bought the equipment that North Point used to own, but North Point customers are still having to rush out to Frys and buy modems to get back online.

But my fear isn't that people will be left with dead ADSL lines if ISPs drop broadband. Rather, it's an observation that the one lesson with the American experience which does apply here, is being ignored.

And the problem, strangely, is that ADSL is turning out to be more reliable than we feared.