Further details of BTs ISDN based broadband alternative, Midband, have today been released onto the Internet ahead of the operators official announcement - expected soon.

The Initial documentation states that the 128Kbps product is expected to cost £35 (monthly) and limit users to 150 hours surfing per month (2 hourly cut off):

Ordinarily, BT Midband chugs along at speeds of up to 64k. However, when users need to download a large file, for example, it automatically ramps up to 128k.

But - and it's a big but - using the service at the quicker speed eats up users' allotted 150 hours online more quickly and means customers get less time on the Net.

So, in normal usage punters will get somewhere between 75 and 150 hours a month for their £35. Anyone exceeding this cap will be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis although unused hours can be carried over from month to month.

So, not only is the price higher than had been expected, but the service itself isn't much better than a standard BT HomeHighway ISDN connection + unmetered dialup account.

The Register reports that BT intends to make it very clear that Midband will not be an 'always-on' service like broadband. Nor should it be confused with their forthcoming 256Kbps ADSL product.

The always-on e-mail service has also been removed from the product due to technical problems. So what is Midband now? It sound like BT has simply repackaged ISDN and given it a new 'marketable' name.