BT is thinking about speeding up its broadband service to the super fast 50Mb per second in an effort to to gain a foothold in the HDTV market competing with the likes of Sky and Virgin.
BT chairman, Sir Christopher Bland, told the Financial Times that it was looking at increasing its download speeds to between 40-50Mbs – far quicker that the typical 8Mbs speeds offered by most UK firms. It would cost in the region of £4 billion but could offer great long-term value in the HDTV marketplace.
However, such an investment would face potential obstacles including cost and regulation and "BT would have to make a viable case for the delivery of that for UK customers," according to senior analyst, Mark Main.
He also pointed out that BT would have to "make significant in-roads in a short period of time," and that not all subscribers would be guaranteed to get 50Mbs.
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