AOL to break into U.K. broadband

America Online is planning to launch a self-installed broadband product in the United Kingdom this summer. "We've been making lots of progress in our work with (British Telecommunications) to resolve our concerns over the provisioning process for broadband. We're hopeful that we'll be able to launch in the near future...in weeks, rather than months," said Matt Peacock, communications director at AOL U.K. In theory, the Internet service provider could launch its high-speed product tomorrow. The service is up and running, and some AOL customers already have a broadband connection. But Peacock said the company is holding off on a full launch because "we want the service to be absolutely right." In the meantime, AOL is missing out on potential customers. The wholesale broadband price cuts that BT recently made have caused an increase in subscriptions, and Britain is thought to be poised to pass 500,000 broadband home users. ZDNet U.K.'s Graeme Wearden reported from London. To read the full story, visit ZDNet U.K..