A new era in broadband started in April 2008 when BT Wholesale introduced Wholesale Broadband Connect (WBC). Made possible by BT’s 21st Century Network, it offers end users a much richer broadband experience than ever before. It opens the door to greater control, choice, flexibility and differentiation and provides the ability to support multiple services in parallel.
WBC enables communications providers to respond to end-user demands for new, feature-rich multimedia and multi-play services. Wholesale customers - and in turn their customers – will benefit from Quality of Service (QoS) options, guaranteed service level agreements and the ability to trade speed for greater line stability. They will also enjoy improved line diagnostics and sophisticated line management.
The functionality and availability of WBC will increase overtime.
Wholesale Broadband Connect is integral to BT Wholesale’s forward looking business strategy and its future product portfolio. The initial portfolio consists of the following products:
A new service - called IPStream Connect – helping communications providers bridge between today's network and 21CN will be introduced in summer 2008. In mid 2009, BT Wholesale plans to introduce an integrated voice and broadband service – Wholesale Broadband Connect Converged. Overtime the portfolio will be supplemented with a dedicated downstream product and an access fibre variation will be developed for BT’s already announced Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent, fibre-to-the-home deployment designed for communications providers to assess potential commercial models.
BT Wholesale's next generation broadband is about much more than speed.
Wholesale Broadband Connect can prioritise different types of data running along the end user’s line enabling CPs to tailor their services to meet different end-user applications using Quality of Service (QoS) options. Communications providers can buy these options as an extra to the standard service to meet the specific needs of their target market. Those wanting to offer data and VoIP services could add Real-Time QoS. Those specialising in video transmission can opt for Assured Rate QoS, while the elevated standard QoS option may be better suited for SME needs.
Also Wholesale Broadband Connect's specially designed software changes the dynamics of each line so the service is more reliable and runs at optimum levels.
The ADSL2+ equipment that Wholesale Broadband Connect runs on supports a theoretical maximum speed of 24Mbit/s and end customer lines will deliver the highest possible stable speeds they can support. However, distance from the exchange, internal wiring, interference from electrical appliances and other factors will continue to affect an end customer’s broadband speed.
Next generation broadband availabilityIntroduced to the marketplace in April 2008, BT Wholesale is open for business for Wholesale Broadband Connect which is initially available to a potential footprint of around one million homes and businesses in the UK. The service will progressively roll out across the country, rising to a potential footprint of over 10 million homes and businesses by Spring 2009.
Where end customers are connected to a 21CN broadband enabled exchange, communications providers can choose to supply end users with products and services based on BT’s next generation wholesale broadband service. However communications providers and ISPs are going to take time to implement next generation broadband-based services for end users in the early stage of a phased national introduction.
Wholesale Broadband Connect builds upon BT’s unique and groundbreaking Dynamic Line Management technology, which balances the fastest possible speed with service stability. Delivering cost-efficient broadband in the future is fundamental to effective competition and already BT Wholesale is experiencing the lowest broadband fault rate ever.
The introduction of BT’s next generation broadband services sees even more sophisticated dynamic line management to release the maximum potential of each, and every, individual line. Meanwhile, improved line diagnostics will offer root cause analysis of any complex faults – improving service reliability. Wholesale Broadband Connect also offers faster and simpler ordering systems for CPs for all 21CN products. Together this means a superior end-user experience.