§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will require suppliers of ADSL services to specify to consumers a maximum and minimum expected contention ratio; and if he will make a statement. [138328]
§ Ms HewittContention ratio is one of a number of fundamental quality of service parameters used to specify ADSL service products, as are other parameters such as data rates and throughput. It is generally accepted that service quality and cost are related and this is certainly true for ADSL services.
It is likely that contention ratio information will be provided by ADSL service suppliers as part of their service contract with the customers and indeed customers may well request this information if it is not readily available. It is also expected that ADSL service suppliers will offer customers a choice of throughput offerings so that customers will be able to choose which quality performance offering best meets their needs.
It is therefore for market forces to determine which services consumers are likely to demand and what price consumers are willing to pay for such services based on the overall service quality package.