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UK - Broadband still "too expensive"

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  • 30-10-2002 10:46pm
    #1
    Lemming
    Registered Users Posts: 14,148 ✭✭✭✭


    Article Here

    Courtesy of PC Pro
    Thursday 24th October 2002

    Broadband still too expensive
    16:29

    Price cuts over better content - that's the key to broadband ubiquity.

    With an overwhelming 94 per cent, voters on our recent poll plumped for price cuts as the factor that would make them sign up for ADSL en masse.

    The poll asked whether better content or cheaper prices were the key contributing elements to signing up to broadband.

    In spite of the flood of price cuts and special deals that are now available, it's still too expensive, decided our readers.

    'The broadband monthly charge should be £20.00,' said VanceMack. 'Why are we still paying for early-adopter prices for broadband in 2002?' asked jonpaul2.

    It was not only the monthly fees that are stopping people subscribing. 'The installation fees are too expensive for most families,' said livio75 and a number of others.

    Another big issue was availability - more than content or pricing, the biggest obstacle is having your local exchange enabled. And there were plenty of digs at BT's broadband-ometer scheme to test the water in rural areas.

    'BT will not do it because they want 400 people in Crosby exchange to sign up first,' said LenBarks3.

    Currently BT claims 66 per cent of the UK population is covered by ADSL-enabled exchanges. The broadband-ometer should see 14 per cent more exchanges enabled, bringing the coverage to 80 per cent. However, a recent government survey found only 8 per cent have broadband access, through either cable or DSL.

    Exactly what readers think of the content available online remains a mystery. With only 6 per cent voting for better content, comments were few and far between. 'I don't really care what's out there, as long as I can browse and see the content quickly,' said hekate.

    What does seem important, though, is services such as email and the ability to download files quickly. This is what people are doing, according to the poll. So if content isn't key, perhaps software services are.

    Matt Whipp


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