BT has run out of broadband capacity in Hemel Hempstead. It means orders for new broadband connections have been put on hold while the UK's former phone monopoly installs new kit to meet demand.

One business punter who was supposed to have a new broadband connection up and running at the beginning of the month has spent the last two weeks trying to get a straight answer from the giant telco.

In the end, he was told that BT's Hemel Hempstead exchange would be without additional broadband capacity "indefinitely". As a result, he's now been forced to look to a local loop unbundling (LLU) operator for a broadband service.

A spokeswoman for BT Wholesale - which provides wholesale broadband that is resold by ISPs - confirmed that it had run out of broadband in Hemel Hempstead.

"We are installing new equipment at the exchange and this is planned to be installed and tested by the end of the month," she told us.

"This does mean there will be a slight delay in meeting the orders on this exchange for which we apologise, but we are doing all we can to get this work completed as soon as is possible." ®

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