After years of lagging behind mainland Europe, it looks like super-fast broadband might finally be making it to Britain"s shores. Local loop unbundling has already offered 8mbps speeds - and now one operator is going three times faster as it pilots a 24mbps scheme.
Be has launched its pilot project in central London, and promises speeds as fast as 24mbps for those within a kilometre of their exchange. Users a bit further out will see their speeds drop a bit, but many should still be able to race around the net at up to 15mbps without a problem. The scheme is based on ADSL2+ technology, and is being offered to the first batch of subscribers for £20 a month - cheaper than many existing 1 or 2mbps services.
Previous LLU services have faced problems with a massive oversubscription. However, Be insists it is prepared for a large take-up of its new service.
Initial subscribers are also being offered an extra enticement to join up - a free wireless ADSL router comes with the service. The requirements for joining up also include "A rampant thirst for speed", as well as the more traditional items like a phone line and a computer. The site"s FAQs suggest users could be up and running at the high speed within two weeks of signing up.