UK Online launches 22 Megs broadband in Britain

UK Online has launched what is the first national broadband service offering speeds of up to 22Mb for £29.99 a month. They are using ADSL2+ technology for their network and they plan to make it available in most urban areas. Users would however have to pay £79.99 for a special ADSL2+ modem as well as a one-off connection charge of £25.

They also clarified that the actual speeds the end consumer gets would depend on the local factors. Chris Stening, general manager of UK Online said in a statement: “While some customers will get 22Mb or even more, up to 24Mb, the quality of their phone line and distance from the exchange will dictate their maximum speed. This is why we give customers a pragmatic estimate of the speed their line will support before they sign up.”

Users would be able to test their connectivity by logging on to the company’s website. UK Online Broadband would initially be available to a user base of more than 4.4 million homes. They further plan to expand this to a user base of around 5.8 million homes over the next 12 months.

People have complained in the past about the customer support provided by the broadband companies. UK Online has said that they are making hiring to ensure that they manage to take care of their users well.