In a move that looks like a throwback to yesteryear, BT is offering a new service called Dedicated Connection, a second broadband line for your home.
Back in the bad old days of working from home, having multiple connections to your home was commonplace, be that a second phone line, fax line or ISDN.
The rise of broadband and increasing bandwidth saw many happy to have one line into their home that could cater for everything, with digital services taking over. However, with home working having seen a huge rise in recent months, BT is looking to ensure that everyone has access to all the connectivity they need.
BT Dedicated Connection is a second broadband connection for your home, the idea being that you can have one for work – hopefully with your employer contributing to your expenses – while your existing home line can remain in place for your domestic needs.
That should mean that you have adequate bandwidth to host that mass Zoom meeting, while the rest of the family can still sit in the front room downloading massive updates for Call of Duty and streaming the latest 4K HDR movie.
BT Dedicated Connection comes with BT’s Halo 2 service, promising a 4G hub if the wired broadband goes down and access to technical help with setup and troubleshooting. You’ll also get BT’s latest Smart Hub 2 and Complete Wi-Fi, which gives you a number of Wi-Fi extenders to place around your home to make sure there’s no dead spots.
On top of that, installation will be free and you’ll get the fastest speeds available to you – up to 80Mbps.
To get BT Dedicated Connection you don’t have to be an existing BT customer, although there’s a £10 a month discount if you are – the prices are £49.99 a month for BT customers, or £59.99 a month for non-BT customers.
“Our new Dedicated Connection service is specifically designed to provide additional reassurance for consumers, regardless of their existing provider. It will allow them to double the connectivity potential in their home, providing a single connection they can use for activities such as working from home, gaming or online schooling – enabling them to get a reliable connection without disruption,” said Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer.
The service provides an alternative to BT Broadband for Business, which comes with a range of additional services tailored for those running small businesses. Of course, you might not want this second connection for running a business – you might just want a dedicated broadband connection for online gaming, to make sure you’re never experiencing slowdown caused by others using the connection in your home.