[Ben]

Cripes, now I've seen everything!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/16/adsl_backhaul/


The trials have been running for the last six months and included several hundred base stations, which are traditionally connected over leased-line or microwave connections using ATM.

Voice services continue to be connected that way, but where ADSL2+ is available it can provide a much cheaper alternative for data services. With the successful completion of the trials they should now be deployed across T-Mobile's network, including the UK.
Bloody cool if you ask me. What a great idea to cheaply improve 3G data coverage in areas that don't warrant big fat leased pipes.

[Hands0n]

What a great idea to cheaply improve 3G data coverage in areas that don't warrant big fat leased pipes.

With a bulk buy deal their cost will be near zero! The minimum ADSL these days is around 2Mbps - and it would not cost any more to get higher speeds up to 16Mbps (the current ADSL2+ [artificial UK-imposed] ceiling) although the tech can go faster depending on distance from exchange. My only concern with ADSL2+ technology is the uplink speed which is normally not much more than 512Kbps (thats the Asymetric bit). Not a great deal, but then the supposition is that the aggregate HSDPA uplink speed of a group of users does not need to be that fast. It does not position the company well for HSUPA - if we ever get to see that.

I am often surprised that ADSL is not used more for such commercial application.