PlusNet rebrands 'no man's land' DSL service

Confusion over broadband definition

By Tim Richardson, 26th January 2004

Ensure Ease of Recovery with Asigra’s Agentless Software

Confusion and misunderstanding has forced Sheffield-based ISP, PlusNet, into a rethink over the branding of its "midband" 150k DSL service.

When the ISP announced last month that it was trialling the service, it didn't refer to it as a "broadband" service, but instead positioned it as a "natural stepping-stone from unmetered dial access to the even higher speeds offered by Broadband Internet access".

Today, though, the ISP has unveiled the full commercial launch of its "dslConnect" "broadband" service, which offers ADSL at speeds of between 150k and 250k at process starting from £15.99 a month.

According to the ISP, it was forced to rethink its position following feedback from customers.

A spokesman for the company told The Register: "Customers didn't seem to understand [the differences], they weren't buying into it. They thought it [dslConnect] fell in no man's land between unmetered access and broadband."

As a result, dslConnect is now being marketed as a broadband service.

While PlusNet may feel that it has cleared up this muddle, others will no doubt argue that it simply adds to the confusion of what does, and does not, constitute "broadband" in the UK.

Last year, for example, the UK's consumer watchdog called for a "meaningful" definition to be adopted by the industry because it said there was "widespread confusion about the term 'broadband'".

That aside, Marco Potesta, Commercial and Marketing Director at PlusNet, said that dslConnect, represents "great value for people who want the benefits of high-speed Internet access at the same price as they are currently paying for dial access".

PlusNet's dslConnect is built on the back of a wholesale Datastream service provided by Tiscali UK. ®