BT Signs IBN ADSL Conversion Deal
Posted: 19th Feb, 2003 By: MarkJ
BT has signed what's claimed to be the biggest ADSL conversion deal in the UK (so far) with Inspired Broadcast Networks (IBN), which is the largest operator of coin operated equipment world-wide:
BT has signed the biggest ADSL conversion deal seen in this country that promises to revolutionise the UK entertainment machines market. The three year broadband deal has been signed with Inspired Broadcast Networks (IBN), the digital division of Leisure Link, the largest operator of coin operated equipment world-wide.
Leisure Link is the UK's largest provider of 'pay to play' games machines to pubs, bars and other locations such as betting shops, motorway service stations and arcades, with 90,000 machines in 30,000 locations. A growing number of these machines are connected to the company's main servers, mostly via ISDN lines.
The new £17.5 million contract with BT, over three years, will initially involve the wholesale conversion of 3,000 existing ISDN lines to ADSL (broadband) between February and September 2003. This will be followed by the creation of 18,000 new broadband lines over the next three years as IBN expands the number of digital entertainment machines across the UK.
In 2000 IBN launched the 'Itbox', a connected, multimedia entertainment product that is set to change the face of the digital pay to play market. Broadband connectivity will increase the number and sophistication of the games available on a single machine, and will also enable IBN to change the games offered on all its Itboxes overnight, rather than physically moving machines from location to location. Broadband will also enable many faults to be diagnosed and fixed remotely.
Russell Hoyle, chairman of Inspired Broadcast Networks said: "IBN is committed to investing in new technology that promises to transform the future of the pay to play market, and our partnership with BT will help us develop the most technically advanced infrastructure with which we can lead the industry into the next generation. The high speed BT broadband solution will allow us to expand our digital gaming solutions much more rapidly than would have otherwise been possible - and after the initial investment broadband is considerably cheaper than ISDN has been."
Danny McLaughlin, managing director of BT Major Business said: "This contract demonstrates yet more possibilities of broadband, which is set to revolutionise the user' s experience of 'pay to play' entertainment such as quiz and arcade games, and also demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative and cost effective ICT solutions to the mid-sized corporate market. BT will be supporting IBN in broadband-enabling about 25 machines a day for the next three years, enabling the company to move even further ahead of its competitors."
Latest UK ISP News
Cheap BIG ISPs for 100Mbps+
Cheapest ISPs for 100Mbps+
150Mbps
Gift: £25 Love2Shop Card