Hebweb Broadband


ADSL - mickey mouse broadband

From Gordon Rimer
Monday, May 19, 2003

This is a quote from Lindsey Annison who spearheads Edenfaster wireless project funded to the tune of 907K by North West Development Agency

"BT's Exchange Activate (ADSL enablement of the exchange for just 30 users) is due to launch this summer. For those who have previously had ridiculously high and unreachable trigger levels this may be an option, though you need a sponsor who fancies forking out 55k and committing to 3 years. Personally, I don't feel that ADSL is broadband, but I'm just a little pedantic about this, and it concerns me that councils etc may tie tight budgets up in ADSL only to find that it isn't a solution for 50% or so of the people on that exchange. It is a well-known fact that areas such as ours (Cumbria and the Dales) suffer from aluminium instead of copper wire, frequently not twisted pairs, and distances from the exchange can render the DSL tech non-functional."

However, there are solutions such as EPS9 lines which you can use to connect one broadband enabled property to another as long as they are on the same exchange. So, if your area has one business paying out for a leased line, you could negotiate with them to connect your premises, then wireless it out to the community and all contribute costs. And yes, this is a hugely unpopular idea for the telcos but it's called aggregation!"