5.9.1 IPStream

The IPStream product is the most popular of the broadband product with service providers. There are probably two reasons for this popularity. The product offers the business user not only business IP applications at a faster rate than can be achieved with traditional dial-up interconnection, but also introduces new ways of working, and the service is always-on. For business users, these lead to an increase in efficiency and hence savings which will always be popular. The second reason is with the residential users. With relatively low prices from service providers it is seen as affordable and worth the increment above dial-up charges.

Further improvements in the product will continue to reflect the feedback received. The introduction of self-install had a significant impact on the volumes. Here a service provider is able to choose a modem from any supplier and either send it to the user to connect to the telephone socket on an ADSL enabled line or sell it to the user through high street stores. This has widened the choice of equipment available to the users. The cost of the self-install product is also less than the previous engineer installed IPStream equivalents which led to price reductions. Hence the combination of reduced price, simplicity and increased choice for both service providers and...