Traffic Management Progress Update

In July 2005 Pipex amended its Terms and Conditions (Ts & Cs), Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP) and introduced improved network traffic management measures to help meet the challenge of continuing to provide a fair service on our network. A challenge born from the way a tiny minority of customers use their connections.

Although these 'heavy users' represent a tiny fraction of our customer base, the usage patterns and activities of these types of users can have an extremely detrimental impact on the connection performance of the vast majority of our customers; especially during the busiest periods on our network.

Pipex is pleased to report that the introduction of network traffic management measures and policies, which we continue to develop, have been a resounding success. Our initial forecast that very few customers would need their connections specifically traffic managed continues to prove correct. The vast majority of customers were only affected in the sense that they received an even better service as a result network traffic management.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those customers who have worked with us and adjusted their usage patterns to take into account the shared nature of ADSL broadband. (See our 'Guidance for Heavy Users notice' for more information).

Looking forward, the next generation of broadband connection speeds are now upon us. With them come new possibilities and applications which will see the online world continue to become an even greater part of everyday life. Many of the new potential applications, such as TV-over-Broadband and Video-on-Demand give rise to new network challenges if these services are to be delivered reliably and to the kind of high standards Pipex customers will expect. Deploying the latest network traffic management technologies along side rigorous planning and management will play a huge part in Pipex's ability to meet the demands of these and future innovations.

Pipex is extremely excited about the prospect of so many long awaited innovations becoming everyday reality. Whether it is continuing to provide the best commercial broadband network in the UK or pioneering innovation in wireless connectivity, Pipex looks forward to maintaining its position as the UK's premier service provider.

Pipex

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