New ISP Be is poised to launch 24 meg download speeds, the fastest in the UK and triple the speed of the current leading competitor. If it catches on, we'll be accelerating past South Korea in the bitrate stakes...

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Brand new internet service provider Be is on the verge of launching 24 meg download speeds – the fastest in the UK and triple the speed of the current leading competitor Bulldog who charge £17.50 per month for unlimited 8 meg broadband.

Using ADSL2+ technology that doubles the download bandwidth, together with LLU (Local Loop Unbundling), Be’s new service is a serious overhaul of the UK broadband market. The rollout will start in London, quickly expanding to the rest of the UK.

Details of the pricing structures and other areas due to be covered by Be have not yet been released, but it is understood that the service will intially be extended to other large urban areas.

The company will be deploying its own network in the UK, utilising the Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) EU directive, which allows independent operators to lease incumbent’s (British Telecom in the case of the UK market) last mile access infrastructure.

For Boris Ivanovic, co-founder of Be, this will be the second time he has broken the broadband speed record. In April 2001, he purchased Sweden’s fledging ISP Bostream and launched 26 meg broadband – growing its customer base dramatically from 2,000 to 100,000, and from a $1m to $55m revenue, in just three years.

"The deregulation of the market makes this a very exciting time for the UK and Be is here to make the most of it, offering customers the full capability of ADSL2+ from launch," said Boris. "There is no reason to drag out the increase in speed and launch in steps of 1 meg or 2 meg when the capability is there to offer the maximum speeds available – which is what Be is all about."

Be has the benefit of building a completely new network based on the latest technologies, allowing it to provide a higher quality product than anyone else in the UK. The company is able to deliver its dramatic speed increase at a remarkably low cost due to Ethernet backhauling and aggregation. It is also able to provide a better service than most, through the use of a highly customisable network infrastructure.

Be is the first operator in the UK to use Alcatel’s latest generation DSLAM (the Alcatel 7302 Intelligent Services Access Manager), as well as aggregation and routing equipment which will give Be the ability to offer the latest products and services that will change the face of broadband in the UK.

"Alcatel's innovation in research and development and our work with the standardization bodies gives Be access to the most powerful broadband technology," said Michel Rahier, in charge of Alcatel’s fixed communications activities. "Be has a very exciting proposition for the UK market and has promising plans for their evolution towards a user-centric triple play service offering."

www.BeThere.co.uk