Qatar Telecom (Qtel) yesterday announced it had doubled broadband speeds for its customers free of charge. The speed upgrade, a part of Qtel’s Internet upgrade programme, which it started on April 1 this year, has already been made available for ADSL and Mozaic TV+ customers here. “As more and more customers use bandwidth, and as they deploy applications that require more bandwidth… the amount of bandwidth required rises. Qtel is very aware of the challenges faced in this area, and is committed to investing in it to increase the overall range of bandwidth available. By increasing the overall level of bandwidth, we are increasing the capacity to enhance the speed. We have also upgraded the overall network, migrating to an improved RLU and enhancing the cache and router service,” said Khalil Al Emadi, Qtel Executive Director, Networks. With the upgrade, customers with a download speed of 512kbps (kilobyte per second) can download at 1mbps (megabyte per second) without any addition to the monthly charge of QR200. For customers of Mozaic TV+, 1 mbps will be the standard speed. Al Emadi said customers using the higher 1mbps or 2mbps service can move up to the 2mbps or the new 4mbps service without additional charges. “Over time, Qtel will phase out the 512kbps service, and deliver 1mbps high-speed Internet as standard. Customers will be able to deploy the 1mbps for QR200, 2mbps for QR300, and 4mbps for QR400.” He said the Internet upgrade project underwent three phases. The first was the development of more international bandwidth… an upgrade of the backhauling... which will lead to a more resilient network. “We are pleased to deliver the first fruit of the major Internet upgrade project to our customers across Qatar. At a time when people are more conscious about their expenses, we believe that this free enhancement will be warmly welcomed by customers across Qatar,” said Adel Al Mutawa, Qtel executive director for Group Communications. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=May2009&file=Local_News200905196943.xml

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