Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2001/03/05/bt_ditches_adsl_alwayson_promise/

BT ditches ADSL ‘always-on’ promise

Sorry, you shouldn't have received that email

By Tim Richardson

Posted in Networks, 5th March 2001 13:13 GMT

BT bosses are trying to hide their blushes after telling customers that its flagship always-on ADSL service is no longer "always on".

In an email to users of BT's broadband service, bosses point to a change in the Ts&Cs.

It says: "Your connection to the Internet via the Service, at any one given time, is on a timed session basis and accordingly we reserve the right to end your connection to the Internet after an extended period of time... you can re-connect back to the Internet by using your dial- up connection.

Punters of BTopenworld who've received this missive can barely believe what they've read thinking that the monster telco has abandoned one of the fundamental tenets of broadband.

Not so. BT just can't tell the difference between its narrowband and broadband users.

The change to the Ts&Cs refers to users of BTinternet, it's narrowband ISP, and not BTopenworld, its broadband ISP.

However, some BTopenworld users have received the email by mistake. Oh dear.

BT is aware of the problem but is unable to say how many people have been hit by the mistake. Ho hum. ®