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UK broadband tops 16 million - boosted by LLU

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Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

The UK’s broadband customer base increased by almost 600,000 in the first quarter of 2008, bringing the total to 16.2 million (06-10-08).

This was helped by an increase in local loop unbundled (LLU) lines, which broke through the five million barrier for the first time according the Office of the Telecoms Adjudicator’s (OTA) monthly results.

There are now a total of 5.032 million LLU lines in the UK but the OTA noted that “the rate of growth continues to remain flat”, with throughput levels down by 30 per cent on the same time last year.

It also announced that the launch of BT Openreach's (www.BT.com) “Tag Resolution facility” this month should reduce the problems of having a “tag” on a line “to an acceptable level”.

“Although LLU is great for reducing headline rates and allowing providers like TalkTalk (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) and Tiscali (www.Tiscali.co.uk) to offer such promotions as ‘free broadband’ and ‘free line rental’, a ‘tag’ on your line is just one of the problems you might face when you migrate to or from an LLU line,” said Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director.

“While LLU providers are able to offer very attractive packages, these are often tied to lengthy contracts and other issues - and costs - can arise if you have moved to a fully unbundled provider - where both your broadband and your phone line are taken over - but then decide that you want to migrate back to the BT network,” he warned.

Related article - LLU broadband migrations.

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