Karoo, the incumbent ISP in the Kingston Upon Hull areas, whose parent company KCOM owns Eclipse Internet, will be setting up ADSL2+ connections across its entire network over the next two months, providing residents with a much needed boost in broadband speeds.

As Karoo is the only choice of phone and internet service provider in Hull and its surrounding areas, residents have missed out on the competitive prices offered by providers elsewhere in the UK, having been unable to sign up for the triple and quad-play services provided by the likes of Sky, BT, Tiscali and Virgin Media.

Until now, residents of Hull have been unable to sign up for the faster ADSL2+ services which are available to Be Broadband and O2 Broadband punters as well as UK Online subscribers. There are not yet plans in the pipeline to make ADSL2+ speeds – theoretically capable of a maximum downstream speed of 24Mbps – available to Eclipse Internet customers.

Information posted on Samknows reveals that BT Wholesale have at last released the schedule for the first 868 exchanges to be activated for Wholesale Broadband Connect (WBC), their new 21CN broadband product. The new product will bring ADSL2+ nationwide, but as predicted, rollout may take until 2012 to reach all corners of the UK.

BT’s current timetable sees them aiming to have 82 exchanges enabled by the 30th of April, followed by 540 exchanges by the 18th of November 2008 and 868 by the 19th May 2009.

21CN is expected to take up most of BT’s £3bn budget for investment between 2004 and 2009. Once the rollout is complete, high-speed connections should be universally available across the UK, over both fixed line (a mixture of copper and cable) and wireless (WiMax) links. The upgrade will also see phones as we known them changing; on 21CN every phone will be a VoIP phone; no traditional telephone services will exist.

“This is the most radical strategy of a telco business you will see anywhere in the world. It’s fundamentally based on broadband everywhere,” said Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale. “We will have a single network running multiple services, not multiple networks running multiple services in a complicated way.”

ADSL2+ is capable of doubling the downstream bitrate of ADSL speeds, and it is theoretically possible to achieve top download speeds of 24Mbps. Be Broadband is the most notable exponent of ADSL2+ as are Sky and UK Online, both of which use the Easynet backbone; O2 have also launched their own services following their purchase of the Be network.

At last weeks ISPA awards ceremony, Eclipse Internet, the overall winners of the 2007 awards, scooped the titles of Best Business ISP and Best Business Email at the 2008 Internet Service Provider Awards (ISPAs) in London on Friday 14 March.

Mark Thomas, Head of Sales and Marketing at Eclipse had this to say: “Over the last 18 months we have complemented the business-grade broadband access we offer with a range of new services that help businesses to operate more efficiently, including online data back-up, hosting services, hosted applications and e-commerce solutions. We are delighted that our growing reputation as the ISP of choice for businesses has been recognised by the industry through the achievement of not one but two business ISPA awards.”

All of the Eclipse business broadband packages come with no download limits, and provide top download speeds of 8Mbps, with varying levels of IP addresses and webspace; this way smaller businesses who do not require as much space for hosting are not priced out of higher speeds and can enjoy the same level of service as larger outfits.

Eclipse aren’t intending on resting on their laurels. According to Thomas, the plan is to “keep investing in the type of services and the level of customer and technical support that businesses want.” As the commercial broadband market is continually consolidating, the business broadband sector is set to become another hotbed of competition. Tiscali are to branch into the market via Pipex, and both O2 and Sky are offering ADSL2+ services to companies via Be Broadband Pro and UK Online, up against ISP stalwarts Demon
and NamesCo.

The tenth ISPA event, now in its tenth year, recognises innovation and good workplace practice (which is why HMRC were awarded the ISPA equivalent of the Golden Raspberry) in the ISP sector.

A report by telecoms research body Point Topic says that Sky has retained its position as the fastest growing ISP in the UK, according to sales figures from the past five quarters. In the three months up to last December, the triple-play company netted a further 260,000 broadband customers, which equates to 42 per cent of new broadband customers during that period.

The success of Sky Broadband has largely been credited to the popular SeeSpeakSurf bundle, which sees broadband included free with Sky TV, their killer app, and fixed line phone calls. Sky was also the first ISP to offer free wireless routers to customers, allowing home networks to be set up quickly and easily. Rival providers Be, AOL, Tiscali and others quickly followed suit.

Sky entered the broadband market under its own name nearly two years ago, after buying Easynet for a cool £211 million. Sky wasted no time investing into the LLU scheme, unbundling at a furious rate. SeeSpeakSurf launched in 2006 and late last year, Sky announced that it had connected its millionth customer. Sky also purchased ADSL2+ ISP UK Online, who specialise in providing next-gen ADSL broadband to SME customers.

John Hutton will tomorrow announce his decision on what is to be done with regards to the 17.9 per cent ITV stake owned by Sky.

The Competition Commission earlier advised that Sky hold no more than 7.5 per cent of ITV, but the Business Secretary has the last word on the matter, though he is expected to follow the Commission’s recommendation.

ITV shares have now reached a new low, for which the controversy surrounding the Sky stake is partially to blame. This, ironically, will see Sky suffering a significant loss even if they are only forced to make a partial sale. Last Friday, ITV shares were valued at 72.9p, compared with the 135p a share that Sky paid at the time of purchase.

Since the launch of Virgin Media last year, the gestation of which prompted the Sky ITV share spree, we have seen the cable group greatly stimulate growth and competition in the market place. The launch of Virgin’s 20Mbps services paved the way for ADSL2+ from the likes of Be, O2 and UK Online to do the same.

Virgin’s arrival in the market also saw providers adding increased value services, such as digital TV and mobile phones – BT and Tiscali both pushed to drive customers to their IPTV platforms in 2007 and Sky had a wildly successfully year with See Speak Surf.

All this talk about cable has also stimulated debate about the future of telecoms networks in Britain – BT, along with Virgin, have been trialling next-gen cable services in the south of England, and so-called Dark Fibre pioneers H20 Networks are keen on leading the way by routing 21st Century cable networks through 19th Century sewer ducts.

2007 has also seen much consolidation in the Broadband marketplace, with mergers and acquisitions seeing old players shake hands and donning new team colours.

At this stage in the financial year, there’s still everything to play for up until April 2008, with takeovers from Tiscali and Carphone Warehouse hopefully giving former stragglers Pipex and AOL a shot in the arm, and with Sky connecting customers at a phenomenal rate since the launch of their successful See Speak Surf squad formation. Up and coming ISP Be Broadband, has also been a keen player, thanks to partners O2, who have just launched their own broadband service using the Be network.

We’ve taken a quick look at the total take-up of the big six so far, and had a look a some of the more prominent ‘tier 2′ ISPs available.

UK Broadband Premiership – Q3 Figures 07/08 Season

BT Group (BT Broadband/PlusNet/Brightview) - 4.1 million

Virgin Media (including Virgin Media Cable and ADSL) - 3.3 million

Carphone Warehouse (TalkTalk/AOL UK) - 2.5 million

Tiscali (Tiscali Broadband/Pipex) - 2 million

Orange (Orange Broadband) - 1.6 million

Sky (Sky Broadband/UK Online) - 1 million

UK Broadband Division 1

O2 Telefónica - have launched O2 Broadband, using the Be Broadband ADSL2+ network. O2 Broadband comes at a discounted price to O2 Pay Monthly mobile customers who pay more than £30 a month.

NamesCo – one of the veterans of the ISP league, NamesCo may not hold as big a market share as the big hitters, but specialise more in hosting, and provision of webspace. NamesCo have generous packages for businesses and residential customers alike.

Eclipse Internet – with word of mouth spreading, Eclipse are slowly winning over customers with a solid broadband service that doesn’t rely on flashy bundle deals or expensive ad campaigns. Eclipse is owned and ran by KCOM, who handle all telecommunications within Hull and around the Kingston area.

Demon Internet – Like NamesCo, Demon have been doing the rounds since the early days of dial-up and are an established and trusted brand. Demon also specialise in hosting, providing webspace, unlimited emails, and static IP addresses with their home and business packages.

Virgin Media are reportedly testing out the feasibility of launching broadband speeds of up to 50Mbps over their existing fibre optic networks. Virgin admitting that they are unable to compete with Sky on the TV front have instead turned their attentions to the strongest suit in their hand – the superiority of fibre over copper lines.

Acting chief executive Neil Berkett, the chap who is ‘most likely to’ take over the chair vacated by Steve Burch, said in a statement that “Despite our technical advantage we are still not really standing out from the crowd,” and that the way forwards would be to “re-focus our energies onto the broadband platform.”

Virgin have in the past muttered about the possibility of 50Mbps speeds after the initial upgrade of the Size: XL speeds from 10Mbps and 20Mbps was announced way back in March, but now it seems more of a possibility.

With BT continuing to set up the obsolete-out-of-the-box 21CN ADSL2+ network nationwide, which everyone, including Sky, relies on for their internet services, making the move to unroll a service over twice the speed of the competition should reinvigorate customer interest in Virgin Media broadband.

Virgin have also recently been making some minor technical upgrades to their existing networks, which has caused services to drop in some areas - we’ve had a few emails from Virgin customers saying that over the last couple of weeks service has been decidedly patchy – chances are it could have something to do with this speed boost, then again it could just be routine maintenance.

We reckon that customers living in cabled areas would flock to 50Mbps speeds, after customers on Be and UK Online extolling the virtues of 20Mbps+ connections. Whether the smaller Size: M and Size: L packages will see a speed boost remains to be seen; it didn’t happen last time, and theoretically, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t.

ISP bosses in the UK have been given a stern telling off by the Ofcom Consumer Panel chairman over the advertising of “up to” speeds which, as we all should know, are rarely achieved by the majority of customers – the average UK connection speed is said to be 2.8Mbps, despite the 16Mbps+ speeds on offer from the likes of Sky, Virgin, Be Broadband and UK Online.

In her letter to the six leading lights of the Broadband Bundesligue, Ms Bowe wrote: “We are of course aware of the technical reasons for the ‘up to’ terminology that you use. I would however like to have your views about how these technical issues might be better addressed in terms of giving clearer information to potential customers.”

O2 Broadband, set to launch next week, have made a point of advertising their services as being well below that of the theoretical capabilities of an ADSL2+ connection, presumably to avoid customer dissatisfaction.

Customers buying broadband services can help themselves by doing a bit of homework and finding out what speeds they can expect to get in their area.

Former press advisor to the head of the DTI back in 1985, Colette Bowe was a key figure in the notorious Westland Affair.

UK Online have recently unveiled their Small Business Broadband package for, erm, small businesses who want a cost-effective net connection. The target market for UK Online’s Small Business Broadband service is represented on their website - a flower seller, chef and a book store owner, all pose for the camera looking content with their internet services.

Business outfits within benefit from a standard up to 8Mbps download speeds and 768Kpbs uploads, unlimited downloads, a static IP, 100MB of webspace, plus 20 email accounts, all for just under £20 a month for clients within the former Easynet LLU group, which, since Sky’s buyout means practically everyone.

It is expected that the ADSL2+ ISP, who offer up to 22Mbps home broadband services, will unveil business broadband for larger companies who will want access to faster speeds – Be Broadband Pro currently furnishes business clients with up to 24Mbps downloads for £40 a month.

Broadband Finder is increasing and developing it’s portfolio of broadband providers and other resources within the site. Some of the newer members to the site are:

PlusNet
PlusNet have recently undergone a complete overhaul of their site and have introduced a wide range of packages to suit broadband consumers needs. They currently have 4 packages ranging from £9.99 a month for their Option 1 plan through to £29.99 for the, heavy user, Option 4 package. PlusNet also have the flexibility of a monthly contract as standard. They do have charges for connection and equipment but these will be waived if you stay with them for 12 months.

UK Online
UK Online are another company who have given themselves and site a complete overhaul and introduced a wide range of broadband packages. They also offer 4 packages and boast of being able to supply speeds of up to 22MB. Their package prices range from £9.99 a month through to their superfast unlimited £24.99 package.

Also, for a more hands-on approach, Broadband Finder now hosts, not only its up-to-date news feeds, but we also boast an online chat facility for those consumers who wish to talk to someone with any queries regarding choosing their broadband package. Click here to view all the latest broadband packages and access Live Chat.