British Telecommunications Plc says it will test a hybrid ISDN/PSTN high-speed local access service as early as April 1998. According to the company, it hopes the technology could become a mass consumer high-speed connection service. BT says trials of the technology will start in February. The trial, dubbed Home Highway, will involve 300 households in UK’s industrial midlands in Birmingham and Coventry. It will use SUPERport 128 system developed by GPT and Ericsson, the suppliers of BT’s System X and System Y digital switch infrastructure and will feature an ability to mix PSTN analog and ISDN services on the same local connection. The SUPERport 128 system involves network termination devices that fit into a customer’s existing telephone jack-point, providing four extra connections. Two of the 64kbps ports will connect conventional PSTN telephones and two are paired to offer direct ISDN S-bus connection to a PC equipped with an ISDN card. Using the new device, customers can choose to hold two simultaneous analog telephone conversations, one phone call and a 64kbps data session, or a single 128kbps data connection. BT believes that the service will appeal to the growing number of two phone line homes. Pricing will comprise a one-off connection charge of around 100 pounds ($169).
