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ITU says ‘yes’ to ADSL

Now it's an official standard

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) yesterday at long last ratified ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) as an international high-speed datacomms standard. Thanks to the technology's adoption in the US, ADSL was always destined to emerge as the next connectivity standard after ISDN and analog modems, but the ITU support should at least ensure the move to the higher speeds offered by ADSL runs more smoothly. ADSL offers connection speeds of between 1Mbps and 7Mbps on standard cabling, though new equipment is required at telephone exchanges, ISPs and to connect PCs to the system. Today, British Telecom bowed to public and regulatory pressure and announced that it would, after all, begin rolling out ADSL services to its customers. Until now, BT has been doggedly trying to wring out as much business as it can out of ISDN before moving on to faster systems. ®

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