Tiny telco offers bargain broadband access

Net users in the north east of England can get always-on broadband ADSL access to the Internet for just £15 a month. Kingston Communications -- which operates exclusively in Kingston upon Hull -- announced the tariff today after launching its new interactive TV (iTV) service. Known as Kingston Interactive Television (KIT), the service will offer a complete package of digital television channels, video-on demand service, Net access and email, shopping, and news and information services. The basic package for the iTV services costs just £9.99 a month. ADSL access to the Net at speeds of up to 8Mbs per second is just an additional £14.99 a month. It means Net users served by Kingston Communications can get broadband access for less than £25 a month. Initially, KIT will be dished out to 1,500 customers before being rolled-out to the company's 155,000 existing residential customers. Asked why Kingston was able to offer such a low price for ADSL access a spokeswoman for the company simply said: "It's our network, our copper." Near telco monopoly, BT, could also boast similar ownership yet it is looking to charge people £50 a month for its ADSL offering. ®