Freeserve raises home ADSL price

ISP blames BT and Oftel

Freeserve has bumped up its home ADSL internet service to £49.99 a month, a rise of nearly 25 per cent. In a recent statement, the largest UK internet service provider blamed BT and Oftel for its decision.

"This has been forced upon Freeserve because we have no confidence in BT or the regulator driving down the wholesale price to a level which will facilitate large-scale take-up of broadband in the UK," the statement said.

The French-owned company also said that the BT allocation process for ADSL has made it virtually impossible for Freeserve to plan an effective strategy to create sufficient consumer demand.

Until BT reduces wholesale ADSL prices to levels found in France and the rest of Europe, around £15 per month, Freeserve will not bring down the price for the home user. Also, until BT and Oftel roll out ADSL at a price that Freeserve likes, this squabble is set to run and run.