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Home > Technology > Articles > Unmetered access for a tenner

Unmetered access for a tenner

01:00 Mon 19th Feb 2001 | Technology

By Oliver Goggi

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WE could all soon be enjoying cheaper surf time following Oftel ordering BT to open up exchanges and reduce charges to rival ISP's. The industry watchdog said BT should free up its network of lines as of 26 February, which means that consumers should soon be able to enjoy unmetered access for between �10 to �14 a month.

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Oftel's order follows BT's recent admission that it had fallen behind in its schedule of setting up high speed internet access - much to the annoyance of the government who is particularly keen on encouraging the public to spend more time online. The high-speed access, known as asymmetric digital subscriber line or ADSL has been dogged by delays and technical problems.�

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This new product a 'single tandem rate internet access call origination' or ST FRIACO for short, will carry other ISP's traffic over BT's network to the operators network for a fixed annual fee.

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However, while packages must be available from 26 February, for the short tem the number of people who will actually be able to sign up will be quite restricted as capacity at the main exchanges will be limited. It current stands that only 720 of the 6200 exchanges in the UK are ADSL enabled, though BT have been ordered to take steps to ensure that all reasonable demand for ST FRIACO be met 'without limitation' from February 2003.

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So, are we finally going to be able to appreciate the unmetered access enjoyed by our American cousins for the past few years Well, despite promises and fancy adverts, it still seems the day of truly reasonable unmetered rate is still a dream.�

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