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About ADSL

Initially ADSL is available from 400 local UK exchanges in parts of London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Cambridge, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds and Milton Keynes. Rollout plans could see 75% of the UK covered within three years.

ADSL is the biggest thing to hit the UK telecoms industry in a decade - it's time to get set for a revolution in the way we communicate, especially over the Internet.

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line for those who want to impress) is one breakthrough in technology that is just not going to pass you by. It's a breakthrough because it's faster than your ordinary modem (sometimes up to 40 times fast) and the connection is always on. It runs over your existing lines, so you can continue to use your phone as usual.

Break through the speed barrier

The speed advantage of ADSL means that all those services the Internet was supposed to make available but were often painful (accessing your work files from home, for example, or video broadcasts) aren't just possible, they're practical.

Most of us access the Internet at 32Kb/s at the moment. It's technically possible, for example, to download a film from the Internet and play it on your PC, but at this speed it would take most users seven and a half days. ADSL runs at a maximum 2Mb/s (or 2000Kb/s) - the download time is a matter of minutes.

ADSL doesn't just move information more quickly. The fact that it's "always on" makes it even more efficient. No longer will you waste time waiting for calls to be initiated and connections made. With ADSL, it's instant. An ADSL connection means you get similar response times from your computer as when you're using the office network. Watching a videoconference will be like watching TV, plus you can transfer information at the same time. You'll be able to get TV-quality pictures of your clients, work they want to show you, or a site you are keeping under surveillance, all from your PC. You will get on-line audio and video at the broadcast quality you expect from your TV.

And because access to information is faster, wherever you are, you can suddenly work from anywhere. People will become more productive in less time. Employers won't be forced to spend so much on costly premises, and Internet-focused businesses will be bargaining from a much stronger position.

ADSL and e-commerce

While the webstores and dotcoms get the publicity, it's the supply chain and business-to-business relationships that will enjoy the most improvements through e-commerce. Anyone involved in the supply chain of any industry can make massive productivity gains by putting their transactions (such as buying, selling, order taking and invoicing) on-line. It also speeds up the intelligence gathering operation.

To date, business could just about afford to ignore the Internet. Once ADSL has enabled huge gains in efficiency a retail business without a website will be like a bank without a cash point. Every industry will be able to demonstrate products on-line. E-commerce will increase dramatically when TV-quality moving pictures can be used to showcase goods.

ADSL will make businesses run faster for less money - get ready for take-off.

ADSL at a glance

Always available - no need to waste time dialling up.

Provides a greater download speed than upload speed

You can use voice and fax communications simultaneously - make a phone call while on-line.

Transforms a normal exchange line into a high-speed digital line, capable of transmitting up to 40 times faster than ordinary modems.

Lines are always open, providing a leased line-like connection.

*The full version of this feature previously appeared in the April/May 2000 edition of BT's Talking Business magazine.