UPDATE: Further details added from NTL's official press release. NTL has decided to get the jump on rival higher speed broadband ADSL2+ services by ramping up the 'standard minimum' speed of its cable product from 3Mbps to 10Mbps at no extra charge!

The UK's largest cable operator is also increasing usage allowances from 30GB to 75GB a month. Typically existing 3Mbps subscribers can expect to get the new speed before the end of 2005, with everybody else left to wait until 2006.

Technically speaking some providers (e.g. EasyNet) have offered the possibility of bonded ADSL connections to 16Mbps for over a year now, with more mainstream ISP's topping out at 8Mbps.

It's unclear how long NTL will retain its new lead, especially with several rival 12 to 24Mbps services expected to launch within the same timeframe.

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The first home surfers in the UK to enjoy speeds of up to 10Mb will be ntl’s current 3Mb Broadband customers. ntl will provide them with more speed and greater usage, at no extra cost per month. By the end of this year they will have a connection of up to 10Mb, while their usage allowance will increase from 30GB to 75GB per month.

A 10Mb connection is ideal for those families with more than one PC and for those customers who want to cut the waiting time for content to download. It anticipates the development of the connected home and will encourage the creation of dedicated high speed content.

By the end of 2006, the roll out of this new product portfolio will be complete. There are no plans to change monthly prices. However, some customers will need to upgrade their modem. Further details will be announced at launch.

Ahead of the full roll out of 10Mb services, for those customers who want a taste of the higher speeds, ntl is set to commence a commercial pilot of its innovative flexible bandwidth technology. This new service uses a ‘Turbo Button’ to provide customers with the added flexibility to boost their speed, making a particular task quicker and easier. For example, when downloading a video and image rich presentation.

Even higher speeds to come for cable customers

Moving customers to a 10Mb Broadband service is part of a wider progression towards services with even higher speed and greater bandwidth. ntl’s fibre-rich network means that broadband speeds of between 30Mb and 50Mb are possible through DOCSIS 3.0 (cable) or ADSL 2+ (copper). ntl has the flexibility in its dual local network to offer this type of connection in the future.

ntl’s vision is to deliver this type of connection and associated new services. Moving to a single 10Mb speed makes future increases easier and quicker to deliver.

Currently, an ntl technology trial in Chorleywood is delivering speeds of up to 20Mb to a school, small business and several homes. This level of speed and bandwidth offers the opportunity to enjoy a host of new services. These include high definition TV, 1000 channel global radio, video conferencing amongst friends & family, global gaming, low cost IP telephony, video email, and of course the things people already use broadband for, but at much greater speed.

“Moving 1.5 million customers to a connection of up to 10Mb is a major initiative. However, we have full confidence in our ability to complete this programme in 2006 by leveraging our next generation platform,” continued Simon Duffy. “Anyone signing up to ntl Broadband today can look forward to surfing at 10Mb in the near future. The new products will offer something for all Internet users from the absolute beginner to seasoned veterans.”