128 more ADSL triggers set
| 128 more ADSL triggers set | |
22 November 2003
And with targets to aim at, it’s hoped this latest roll out development will spur even greater demand for broadband across the HIE network area. But triggers are just the first step in getting more exchanges enabled. Some have been set as high as 500 and others at 100. (Full list of triggers) The next most likely exchange to achieve activation appears to be Lhanbryde which has had a trigger point of 300 registrations set. Currently, they sit at 214, almost three quarters of the way there. But while Lhanbryde are rubbing their hands at the prospect of finding just another 86 people to register, it’s a different story in Wick. The Sutherland town, which heads up on 309 the sample group of exchanges tracked by Broadband for business, has been hit with a trigger point of 500. It’s a similar tale too for the other front runners in our sample group. Aviemore, with 173 registrations, is looking at an uphill battle to crack their 450 trigger, while Tain’s respectable 163 registrations appear puny compared to its trigger of 500. And many other small exchanges have had no trigger set at all. The message, though, is keep shouting. The last six months have seen tremendous progress in terms of exchanges being enabled and registrations gathering pace. Now a further 128 local exchanges know what they have to do to get broadband. So, if you haven’t already done so, register today. Your local exchange needs you! BT have announced triggers for more than 2,300 exchanges in all, and declared that 100 per cent broadband coverage of every UK community is achievable by 2005 if industry and government pull together. Ben Verwaayen, BT Group chief executive, said: “There's no doubt however that many of these trigger levels are very challenging to hit. In some areas, market stimulation alone will not be sufficient to deliver broadband. We are critically dependent on public partnerships to stimulate demand and to intervene with support to get the exchanges enabled early and even to help reduce the triggers. This will be essential to deliver the benefits of broadband to every community. “We are enormously encouraged by initiatives already under way to achieve 100 per cent availability at a local, regional or country level.” However, the BT boss conceded that there are still some 600 of the very smallest exchanges without a trigger level, serving fewer than 300 customers. Ten of these serve fewer than ten customers each. These areas, serving a total of approximately 100,000 customers, would require a different partnership investment approach to receive broadband. The solution for these areas will lie in new wireless solutions and working to extend the physical reach of broadband from enabled exchanges. Links in this story | |