BT Wholesale has announced a 30 per cent price reduction for its symmetrical digital subscriber line (SDSL) products to help 'stimulate the market for symmetric broadband services'.

SDSL, which requires a special SDSL modem, is called symmetric because it supports the same data rates for upstream and downstream traffic. A similar technology that supports different data rates for upstream and downstream data is called asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL). ADSL is more popular in North America, whereas SDSL is being developed primarily in Europe.

The price reduction will apply to both connection and rental charges for BT Datastream Symmetric and BT IPstream Symmetric products. The standard connection charge for BT IPstream and Datastream Symmetric will fall from £450 to £315 (ex. VAT), while the annual rental charges for the usage and capacity based options for IPstream products will fall from £1380 to £966 (ex. VAT). The new pricing is effective from November 1.

The reduction in the price of BT Wholesale's symmetric products will provide UK service providers with the opportunity to pass on the associated price reductions to their end-customers. The lower prices for symmetric broadband is designed to make the service a more attractive option for a wider cross-section of UK broadband users. The symmetric service is particularly suitable for small to medium-sized businesses and remote office workers that need to send and receive data at high speeds or those that host their own e-mail and Web sites.

Cameron Rejali, Managing Director, products and strategy, BT Wholesale said: 'The UK is one of the most competitive markets for broadband in the world today. The price reductions for wholesale symmetrical broadband will further stimulate that market. Broadband today is all about supporting feature-rich content and delivering efficiencies; symmetrical broadband provides the capability which allows users to get more out of their broadband service.'

BIOS, Aug 02, 05 | Print | Send | Comments (0) | Posted In Broadband