2Mbps broadband on the way from Telewest

Telewest announced on Tuesday that it is planning to offer a 2Mbps broadband service later this year.

A trial version of the product will be launched this week. Telewest is inviting existing users of its 1Mbps service to join this trial at no extra cost, but only 1,500 places are available.

Pricing details for the commercial service were not available at the time of writing. A Telewest spokeswoman explained that the company plans to analyse feedback from its triallists before setting a price.

According to Telewest, a 2Mbps connection will allow home Internet users to "experience a business-class Web connection, with blistering downloads for music, films and software, an ability to effortlessly share large files and potential for near-TV quality video pictures."

Last year the cable company launched a 1Mbps broadband service, which has been taken up by around 10 percent of its users.

"Now it's time to shift up another gear, offering our customers the option of going even faster with the natural bandwidth benefits of a cable connection," said Gavin Patterson, managing director of Telewest Broadband, in a statement.

NTL also currently sells a 1Mbps cable broadband service, while Bulldog recently launched a consumer ADSL service that gives a 4Mbps connection at off-peak hours, but is only available in London.

BT Wholesale, though, currently only offers a 512kbps consumer broadband product and appears to be devoting its attention more towards launching slower products rather than faster ones, given its recent focus on Midband and a forthcoming 256Kbps broadband product.

Telewest users who are interested in joining the 2Mbps trial should click here for more information.

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