Sheffield-based PlusNet has confirmed that from April it will be trialling broadband DSL at speeds up to 8Mb as part of a wider pilot scheme announced by BT Wholesale two weeks ago.

The UK's former telecoms monopoly has already announced plans to deliver higher speeds for its wholesale ADSL products to meet what it described as "increasing demand for more bandwidth-hungry applications such as video".

Trials for the increased va-va-voom - which should support line speeds up to 8Mb "dependant on line characteristics" - are scheduled to begin in April ahead of a national roll-out beginning in the autumn.

PlusNet - which already works closely with BT following an agreement inked in December - is planning to offer free speed upgrades and a brand new product range.

"From April, all PlusNet customers will be able to take advantage of the increased speeds as they become available," said the ISP in a statement.

"Existing PlusNet customers will be able to upgrade free of charge to the maximum available DSL speed. The changes enable the ISP to determine its customers' actual speed setting, instead of this being set at BT's local exchange."

From April, PlusNet will be providing 8Mb from £14.99 a month although this will be subject to availability and usage conditions. ®