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Telewest trials Xbox Live

Tony Hallett, Silicon.com Silicon.com

Published: 03 Dec 2002 16:05 GMT

Telewest Broadband is trialling Xbox Live, the online gaming service based on Microsoft's console, with 500 of its Blueyonder broadband Internet subscribers.

The cable company says it will develop a supported, "user-friendly connection" between the console, a user's PC and the cable modem used for high-speed net access.

The full service is expected from March next year.

Telewest is already working with Sony, producer of the popular PlayStation, and Microsoft in September confirmed an Xbox Live tie up with Telewest rival BT Openworld. That offering is based on high-speed ADSL.

Service providers hope this kind of tie-up will further stimulate the demand for broadband connections, the console and games companies building in this type of networked functionality from an early stage.

To sign up for Xbox over Telewest, triallists will need to have been a blueyonder customer for at least six months; to own an Xbox; and to have applied for an Xbox Live test pack from Microsoft

They will then receive a hardware pack including a hub, cabling, additional IP address and support information.

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