Cable operator NTL Inc, yesterday said it is the first firm to offer cable modem consumer internet access across the UK, saying it can provide a faster service (at up to 512kbps) than British Telecommunications Plc’s fastest current offering. The firm has started selling the US Robotics/3Com CMX cable modem as part of the deal with 3Com Corp announced January. NTL eventually hopes to cash in on the rise in usage of video-on-demand and other high-bandwidth multimedia services. 3Com sees the service as a first step towards broadband home networking in the UK, as each modem fitted to a hub can support up to 16 devices.
Telewest Plc and Cable & Wireless Communications Plc, NTL’s main competitors, plan to launch similar services for television and then the internet in the fourth quarter and beyond. The service will at first be limited to the city of Guildford, but NTL expects to expand the service at the rate of around two regions per month from July. The firm’s network covers approximately a quarter of the country. NTL will sell cable modems with ethernet cards for 170 pounds ($275) and offer an unlimited internet connection for 40 pounds ($65) per month. The service will be based on US Data Over Cable Service Industry Specification (DOCSIS) and will require subscribers to use NTL as its ISP.
