5.1 Introduction

Broadband has been much talked about in terms of its impact on industry and the home. We know that the government believes broadband is important to the prosperity of the country through the push for a Broadband Britain. But it is far from a simple subject and there is much that has been said either to make a particular point or simply in error. There are many players in the story, and the range of products offered is very broad. This chapter provides a worked example of the introduction of DSL-based broadband services.

It starts by looking at the definition of broadband, correcting some of the myths that have been circulated, and discusses the range of technologies available to deliver broadband. It then focuses in on the DSL story so far with a look at the technology and a short history of the evolution of broadband. It looks at the players in the broadband business model before outlining the broadband products offered by BT and the design of the solution that supports those products. The chapter concludes by commenting on the early experience, drawing comparisons with others and considering some of the possible evolutions of the DSL broadband story.