Cable players respond to BT ADSL move

Broadband cable providers NTL and Telewest have responded to BT's wholesale broadband cuts which should make ADSL services from BTopenworld and dozens of other ISPs cheaper.

In a statement Adam Singer, CEO of Telewest, said his company welcomes help in building broadband Britain but the best words were saved for last.

"Using the technical superiority of our cable network over DSL we are going to play full-contact broadband with BT and will keep raising the speed till they run out of puff," he said.

He also promised a 1Mbps service later this year. ADSL theoretically provides 512Kbps downstream and 256Kbps upstream at the moment.

NTL's sentiments echoed Telewest's, with UK company MD Stephen Carter talking about BT having "finally found the accelerator in joining broadband Britain".

At the moment over half of the non-leased line broadband connections in the UK are from the country's two major cable providers - even though BT's reach over copper local phone lines is much more extensive. There are over a quarter of a million broadband subscribers, though recent gains from cable providers could see that figure closer to 400,000, sources say.

NTL's residential broadband cable modem service costs £24.99 per month while Telewest's blueyonder is £33 or £25 for users of the company's other services.