BT announce 300 Mbps broadband

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/4809 ... pring.html

Quote:

BT have announced that next spring they will be upping the download speeds on their fibre-to-the-home/premises (FTTH/P) broadband products to 300Mbps, a speed boost that will put them well out in front with the fastest broadband offering. BT will also make changes to their fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) broadband services by doubling the downstream speeds up to 80Mbps. This FTTC boost had been talked about previously and both announcements will be welcome news for those who are looking for cutting edge broadband speeds.

Rollout of FTTH is only expected to reach around 25% of the country, whilst 2/3rds should be covered by 2015 by what BT call 'fibre broadband' which includes fibre-to-the-home and fibre-to-the-cabinet products. Currently only 6 exchange areas have been announced for the commercial 'early deployment' launch of FTTH at the end of this month, so BT are obviously keen to show the potential that this product holds in the future. It should be remembered that speeds on the FTTC product are still limited by the distance from your property to the cabinet in the road. For many, this is quite short so high speeds will be seen, but they may not be right up there at the 80meg limit.

Quote:

Today is a significant step in the UK’s broadband journey. These developments will transform broadband speeds across the country and propel the UK up the broadband league tables.

All our fibre products are fit for the future and these developments show that to be the case. As always, we want to go further and faster and so our journey doesn't end here. We can turn up the dial should there be demand and so we can look to the future with confidence.

No-one is keener than us to extend these super-fast speeds to rural areas and so we will be bidding for public funds to help extend these services even further. The challenge is a tough one but by working with the public sector it is within our reach.

With some able to receive blisteringly fast speeds, and others still stuck in the broadband slow-lane with just 2meg or lower speeds, this will truly create a digital divide, worse than we have seen before in the country.

Not even a sniff of FTTC (aka BT Inifinity) around these parts though.

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

My cabinet has FTTC, but Sky don't offer it and I really don't want to switch over to BT just to get it. FTTP is a pipe dream.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 13:28

I'm not convinced that houses need 300Mbps. At all.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 13:40

Craster wrote:

My cabinet has FTTC,

I bet it has plenty of KFC too.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Yay, you will be able to hit the monthly cap in one day, rather than two!

Zardoz · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 13:44

Grim... wrote:

I'm not convinced that houses need 300Mbps. At all.

Not yet anyway.

When we are all plugged directly into Steve Jobs God Emperor form defending the Appleverse, you'll be glad of it though.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 13:47

Zardoz wrote:

Grim... wrote:

I'm not convinced that houses need 300Mbps. At all.

Not yet anyway.

When we are all plugged directly into Steve Jobs God Emperor form defending the Appleverse, you'll be glad of it though.

I'm thinking into the future. Even if four rooms into the house are streaming HD video (which is the most bandwidth-intensive thing most households do) I still can't see it.

Bobbyaro · **Joined:** 18th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 11902

So you can't imagine a future where an information format becomes more intense than HD?

Zardoz · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:01

I can.

I'm awesome.

MrChris · **Joined:** 1st Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 30498

Teleporting people through broadband?

I'm inclined to agree with Grim...

KovacsC · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:11

I think Grim is correct too. Perhaps better encryption and compression could be the key.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:14

Bobbyaro wrote:

So you can't imagine a future where an information format becomes more intense than HD?

Not a near future.

Malc · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:16

How many cars "need to travel at significantly faster than 70/80mph"?

Doesn't stop cars being built that can do double that!

Also with cloud based stuff becoming more common, there is increasingly the need to move to increase download speeds.

I fill my "up to 20M" from time to time, 15 years ago I was using a 64K connection in an internet cafe with 10pcs sharing it fine...

If my usage can increase by almost a thousand fold in 15 years, then in the next 15 years who is to say it won't increase again by a similar amount?

Malc

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:18

Malc wrote:

How many cars "need to travel at significantly faster than 70/80mph"?

Mine.

Malc wrote:

If my usage can increase by almost a thousand fold in 15 years, then in the next 15 years who is to say it won't increase again by a similar amount?

Okay, to clarify, I thinking more like one year ahead than fifteen.

markg · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 16642

Surely it's just a headline-grabbing figure. If the fibre is there and they were due to upgrade the equipment and the new equipment is capable of 300mbps then why not let people have it?

Plissken · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:29

Zardoz wrote:

I can.

I'm awesome.

Nah, there just isn't the porn.

pupil · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:34

I'd like an internet connection that works, you know, at all, between 6 and 10pm please. Torrenting stuff while I'm asleep is the only way I use our connection most of time. When I actually want to use the web, it's useless. I don't think I've used iPlayer more than once since moving into this new flat 3 months ago.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

pupil wrote:

I'd like an internet connection that works, you know, at all, between 6 and 10pm please. Torrenting stuff while I'm asleep is the only way I use our connection most of time. When I actually want to use the web, it's useless. I don't think I've used iPlayer more than once since moving into this new flat 3 months ago.

Change providers to a good one, or move...

WTB · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 14497

BE are going to be piggybacking off BT's lovely fibre soon, so I'm waiting for that. No restrictions or shaping. I should add by the way, that I'm all set up with BE now and after a slow start I'm getting a solid 15Mb connection which isn't too bad I guess. The best thing is the fact that they don't cap or restrict or shape in any way, so I'm actually downloading overall at a much more rapid rate than I ever was on Virgin 20Mb. Still, I'd very much prefer Virgin 100Mb if I could get it.

pupil · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:39

Trooper wrote:

pupil wrote:

I'd like an internet connection that works, you know, at all, between 6 and 10pm please. Torrenting stuff while I'm asleep is the only way I use our connection most of time. When I actually want to use the web, it's useless. I don't think I've used iPlayer more than once since moving into this new flat 3 months ago.

Change providers to a good one, or move...

My housemate signing up for a 2 year Virgin contract just before I moved in say UH URRRRR!!

WTB · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 14497

Virgin cable or ADSL?

Zardoz · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:41

Plissken wrote:

Zardoz wrote:

I can.

I'm awesome.

Nah, there just isn't the porn.

I'm thinking of broadcasting.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

Fuck yeah - I'm within a couple of hundred metres of the cabinet so am already hard up against the 40mbps limit.

Not that I can use it, as it's faster than the 11n wireless and HomePlug* the common devices talk to it via.

* 200mbps Homeplugs that, last time I checked, allowed a magnificent 2mbps download rate to the machine in the office. I really should pay the extra to get cat5 spun out to the homeplug locations while the sparks are in the next few days.

pupil · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:42

WTB wrote:

Virgin cable or ADSL?

Cable.

All I want is to sign up for a LoveFilm account to stream movies, but it would never work so I'd be wasting my time :'(

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5416

I had no issues with my 50mb virgin service, but since moving house I'm on a bt adsl line. It gets 15mb at quiet times and about 10 during the evenings.

Infinity is supposed to be available by the end of the year here - the exchange is ready and the cabinets are starting to get stickers advertising infinity. I'll be happy with 40 but 80 would be even better.

Grim... · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:56

pupil wrote:

WTB wrote:

Virgin cable or ADSL?

Cable.

All I want is to sign up for a LoveFilm account to stream movies, but it would never work so I'd be wasting my time :'(

So apply for one of their upper packages, then.

Or stop hitting their usage limits, which I assume is why they are shaping your traffic.

TheVision · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 14:57

I'm on a Virgin 10mb line which does the job for me... When it works. It works about 85% of the time which is alright, but frustrating when it's not.

But anyway... the fibre optic lines down my street, I thought they belonged to Virgin/Telewest? Does this mean that BT will be using them?

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

TheVision wrote:

But anyway... the fibre optic lines down my street, I thought they belonged to Virgin/Telewest? Does this mean that BT will be using them?

No, BT will put their own fibre in.

WTB · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 14497

Grim... wrote:

pupil wrote:

WTB wrote:

Virgin cable or ADSL?

Cable.

All I want is to sign up for a LoveFilm account to stream movies, but it would never work so I'd be wasting my time :'(

So apply for one of their upper packages, then.

Or stop hitting their usage limits, which I assume is why they are shaping your traffic.

Also, do they actually do a two year contract? Why would someone sign up for a two year contract? Have you tried ringing them and asking why the service you're paying for isn't working properly? They were always good with me if I ever had any problems. Very swift at getting to the bottom of things. The most major problem I ever had was slow speeds and frequent disconnects. Turns out I needed a new modem because I was still using their old one. Was sorted out and installed within two days. They sent an engineer out the day after I called, who clocked my old school modem, nipped out to his van, got a new one and replaced it. Job done. They were a genuinely excellent company on the whole.

TheVision · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 15:49

Craster wrote:

TheVision wrote:

But anyway... the fibre optic lines down my street, I thought they belonged to Virgin/Telewest? Does this mean that BT will be using them?

No, BT will put their own fibre in.

Wow.. That's a big job then!

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

They're not doing fibre all the way to houses/businesses, except in some new builds (big blocks of flats).

Mostly they're putting fibre to newly-installed cabinets* on the edge of larger areas, to minimise the copper distance to the largest number of properties. Much cheaper and quicker, though they're running behind anyway. That's why most people can only get "up to" 40 80mbps.

I'm less than a kilometre from the exchange by copper (a few hundred metres by crow) and still have a cabinet between me and it (about 250m on foot).

* They're mostly about a metre tall, 1.5m wide and a dark green colour. Once you spot one, you'll see them all over the place.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

WTB wrote:

BE are going to be piggybacking off BT's lovely fibre soon, so I'm waiting for that. No restrictions or shaping. I should add by the way, that I'm all set up with BE now and after a slow start I'm getting a solid 15Mb connection which isn't too bad I guess. The best thing is the fact that they don't cap or restrict or shape in any way, so I'm actually downloading overall at a much more rapid rate than I ever was on Virgin 20Mb. Still, I'd very much prefer Virgin 100Mb if I could get it.

This would be great, as i'm with BE already, and have no problems.

Unfortunately my exchange is not due to be upgraded for a squillionty years or something.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

How are Be going to offer that at a competitive cost?

WTB · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 14497

They won't!

I imagine it'll take a number of years and a number of subscribers before they drop the price down. Still, it ought to be cheaper than shitty line bonding.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

BikNorton wrote:

How are Be going to offer that at a competitive cost?

Probably the same way that they manage to offer an uncapped and unthrottled ADSL service at the moment, for a reasonable price.

I have no idea how they seem to manage that and nobody else can though!

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

Trooper wrote:

Probably the same way that they manage to offer an uncapped and unthrottled ADSL service at the moment, for a reasonable price.

I have no idea how they seem to manage that and nobody else can though!

My £10/month Sky BB disagrees.

Still, BT Infinity starts from only £7.50, so I can't imagine it'll be that expensive for BE to resell.

WTB · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 14497

Trooper wrote:

BikNorton wrote:

How are Be going to offer that at a competitive cost?

Probably the same way that they manage to offer an uncapped and unthrottled ADSL service at the moment, for a reasonable price.

I have no idea how they seem to manage that and nobody else can though!

They're much more expensive than BT and co, but broadband is pretty "cheap" these days any way so it's reasonably inexpensive regardless.

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Craster wrote:

Trooper wrote:

Probably the same way that they manage to offer an uncapped and unthrottled ADSL service at the moment, for a reasonable price.

I have no idea how they seem to manage that and nobody else can though!

My £10/month Sky BB disagrees.

I'm sure we have been through this before

Ok, Nobody else apart from Sky, or Virgin top tier...
i.e. 99% of other suppliers

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

Craster wrote:

Still, BT Infinity starts from only £7.50, so I can't imagine it'll be that expensive for BE to resell.

There'll be a lot of bandwidth limiting and traffic shaping fair use policy in that. It's £28/mo to get "unlimited"* from BT Retail. Be's actual unlimited, unshaped will result in excruciating bills from BT to absorb when the leechers climb aboard.

Sky manage cheap-and-unlimited (though theirs isn't that cheap for the really-actually unlimited is it?) by installing their own backhaul, which isn't how unbundled Infinity works.

* Limited.

Malc · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 17:50

Craster wrote:

Trooper wrote:

Probably the same way that they manage to offer an uncapped and unthrottled ADSL service at the moment, for a reasonable price.

I have no idea how they seem to manage that and nobody else can though!

My £10/month Sky BB disagrees.

Still, BT Infinity starts from only £7.50, so I can't imagine it'll be that expensive for BE to resell.

Have you registered your interest in sky's fibre thing? My exchange has fibre to the wotsit now, and I've registered my interest, not heard anything yet though...

Malc

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

BikNorton wrote:

Craster wrote:

Still, BT Infinity starts from only £7.50, so I can't imagine it'll be that expensive for BE to resell.

There'll be a lot of bandwidth limiting and traffic shaping fair use policy in that. It's £28/mo to get "unlimited"*
* Not unlimited.

Indeed. The top whack BT Infinity unlimited option is limited to 300Gb a month, I dread to think what the £7.50 version is limited to!

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

The £18/mo I'm on is 40GB.

Hang on, the £7.50 package must be new, there were only the two price points when I joined. Unless it's one of those "£7.50 for 3 months, £18 after that" things.

Edit: Yes, it's that.

Edit: This thread caused me to look into the unlimited free WiFi I'm supposed to get - now I can in theory use my phone, Touch, laptop and Kindle Fire if I get one anywhere I find a FON or OpenZone hotspot. Hooray!

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

At 300Mbps you would blow through the current BT Infinity unlimited monthly cap in well under 3 hours...

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

BikNorton wrote:

Sky manage cheap-and-unlimited (though theirs isn't that cheap for the really-actually unlimited is it?) by installing their own backhaul, which isn't how unbundled Infinity works.

No, that's what I'm paying for their top-end, untouched, all the internets you want. I'm only getting that price because I have their TV packages and phone line, of course.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

Trooper wrote:

At 300Mbps you would blow through the current BT Infinity unlimited monthly cap in well under 3 hours...

64 hours, you mean.

Er, no, that's a lie.

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

Malc wrote:

Have you registered your interest in sky's fibre thing? My exchange has fibre to the wotsit now, and I've registered my interest, not heard anything yet though...

Malc

I presume you registered your interest on that website that has now totally disappeared? Sky are currently giving no indication to anyone that they have any FTTC intentions, annoyingly.

BikNorton · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 10175

8192 hours.

(300GB * 1024) / (300mbps / 8 ) = 307200MB / 37.5MBps.

Edit: That can't be right.

Edit: Nnng, 8192 seconds. These speeds have broken my brain.

Cras · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 49244

BikNorton wrote:

8192 hours.

(300GB * 1024) / (300mbps / 8 ) = 307200MB / 37.5MBps.

Edit: That can't be right.

By your maths, it would be impossible to download 300GB in much short of a year

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Use google to do maths like this. Just google for "300 gigabyes / 300 megabit per second in hours" and it replies "2.27555556 hours".

Trooper · **Joined:** 4th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 22397

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Use google to do maths like this. Just google for "300 gigabyes / 300 megabit per second in hours" and it replies "2.27555556 hours".

i just did it in my head

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