DIY treatment for xDSL

BT faces alienation from growing numbers of impatient customers who believe the telco is dragging its feet by failing to deploy xDSL services.

Councils and colleges around the country are investigating DSL technology over ordinary BT leased data lines following a number of successful trials.

Users could, however, risk losing their vital data over these DIY infrastructures.

Gartner analyst Neil Rickard warned: "I've seen SDSL attempted in this way, but it's very dodgy. The specification is such that BT is under no obligation to keep the line up to DSL standards. I don't imagine it would deliberately screw up the wires, but it would be within its rights to stop it."

Some industry watchers believe there are many secret SDSL users keeping quiet in case BT clamps down on unofficial DSL experiments.

Thurrock Borough Council has completed its SDSL trial and is beginning a 22-site roll-out. However, Allen Stevens, the council's network team leader, admitted that its relations with BT are 'bruised'. He said: "We didn't tell them about our SDSL plans. The BT salesman isn't talking to us now."

Despite these problems, Stevens pointed to the savings: "When our SDSL will have paid for itself in two years, our costs will be up to five times lower.

"I know at least 12 councils considering this option. One London borough council with 122 sites is planning on running a similar project over long distance," he added.

Keith Goodley, product manager for BTN, one of two vendors selling the DSL equipment in the UK, said: "It lends itself perfectly to the council and university layout. We're also talking to more than 10 very interested colleges."

While Goodley admitted the SDSL model is rarely suitable for business due to a five-mile distance limitation, he argued: "BT's customers won't stand for its expensive services when they see how cheaply (DSL) can be done."