Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2000/03/03/telewest_marches_to_broadband_beat/

Telewest marches to broadband beat

End of March set for launch of new service

By Tim Richardson

Posted in On-Prem, 3rd March 2000 11:38 GMT

Still mopping up the mess made by its haphazard free Net calls service, Telewest has announced it is to launch its broadband cable service later this month although exact details are being kept under wraps until the official launch at the end of March. What is known is that the service will be offered in just one of Telewest's regions to start with, before being rolled out nation-wide over the rest of the year. The cableco is also keeping mum about pricing but it's understood that Telewest's unmetered broadband service could cost around £50 a month, although this would also include the cost of a cable modem. A number of content providers have already been signed up ready to jump aboard the broadband bandwagon. Telewest announced it was to introduce a broadband service in August last year. Rival cableco, NTL, began rolling out its broadband cable service at the beginning of last year. The service costs £40 a month for a 512KB service, although users have to buy their own cable modem as part of the deal. A spokesman for NTL said a decision concerning the cableco's decision to buy the cable network from Cable & Wireless would be announced within the next month. Elsewhere, BT has extended the trial for its ADSL product, which will mean the service won't be available commercially until the summer. ® Related stories: Telewest to tackle BT, NTL with broadband launch NTL fires first volley in Net calls price war Autumn leaves will fall before ADSL rolls out in Britain