Noise elimination boosts broadband

It’s just a simple piece of moulded white plastic. Yet this inexpensive bit of kit could improve the broadband performance for millions of people in the UK. How? By filtering out electrical interference caused by TVs, home wiring – even Christmas tree lights.

That’s because electrical interference can impact the stability and speed of a broadband connection. By fitting an I-Plate to the master phone socket found in most UK homes, electrical interference is effectively eliminated. And without this electrical ‘noise’, the quality and speed of a broadband connection can improve.

In a survey of 36,000 lines, BT found that using an I-Plate increased speed by around 1.5Mbps. Some lines even saw improvements of as much as 4Mbps. Ironically, for a product that is designed to filter out electrical interference, the I-Plate is creating a real buzz among those who’ve tested the product.

For instance, let’s look at the experience of Tim Parnell, general manager, BT Wholesale’s Undertakings. His home broadband connection was capped at 2Mbit/s. Even so, it used to crash repeatedly – even though he lives just 3Kms from his local exchange. After fitting an I-Plate, Tim is now enjoying a very stable 6Mbit/s DSL Max service. Which goes to prove that I-Plates don’t just result in increased speeds but improved line quality as well.

Of course, higher speeds cannot be guaranteed in every case since the level of electrical interference varies from line to line.

Even so, the I-Plate has performed so well BT Wholesale - which provides broadband to more than eight million lines in the UK – is now making this patent-pending technology available to its UK communications providers (CPs) to pass on to their broadband customers.

Enhanced broadband services

Cameron Rejali, managing director, products and services, BT Wholesale, believes the launch of the I-Plate is yet another example of BT’s drive to deliver enhanced broadband services to UK homes.

“Most consumers are unaware of the impact that faulty TV’s, fluorescent lighting and home wiring can have on their broadband performance,” he said. “The I-Plate can help solve this, depending on the level of electrical interference within the home, delivering faster speeds, greater stability and bringing high quality IPTV to more consumers.”

Since the I-Plate can improve both broadband line speed and stability, it is particularly useful for supporting high bandwidth applications such as TV and video, allowing for faster downloads and better quality streaming. For some people, it could be the difference between an ‘OK’ broadband service, to a great experience. And all of that from a small piece of plastic.

The I-plate - how it works

To take advantage of the I-Plate broadband users need to have a BT NTE 5 master socket and extension wiring in their home. Around seven in ten UK homes have this set up bringing the potential benefits of the I-Plate to around nine million households.

The I-Plate works by filtering electrical interference created by TV’s, lights and other everyday electrical equipment in the home.The greater the number of telephone extension sockets / the more electrical equipment in a home, the greater the problem can be.