BT Launches 152Mbps & 314Mbps Ultrafast Broadband
Want to upgrade your home office? BT promises compensation if speeds drop below 100Mbps
BT is now offering ‘ultrafast’ broadband packages of 152Mbps and 314Mbps to consumers and is promising compensation if speeds ever fall below 100Mbps.
More than 250,000 premises can take advantage of the new packages as Openreach’s deployment of G.Fast and fibre to the premise (FTTP) technologies gathers pace.
“We are the first and only company to guarantee speeds of 100Mbps for our customers, even at peak times when people really need their broadband to deliver,” said Marc Allera, CEO of BT Consumer.
BT ultrafast broadband
“Ultrafast technology is going to be a vital part of a transformation in the speed that our customers receive. Whether it is six in the evening or six in the morning, with Ultrafast Fibre everyone can be online at the same time, streaming, downloading and gaming.”
The overwhelming majority of BT’s superfast broadband network is built on fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) technology, which uses copper for the final few hundred metres of the connection. Its rivals have complained the company is ‘sweating’ its copper assets instead of investing in fibre to the premise (FTTP), while BT has long maintained FTTC was the fastest way to spread superfast broadband.
However BT now has ambitions to connect 12 million to ‘ultrafast’ services by the end of the decade using a combination of fibre to the premise (FTTP) and G.Fast – a technology that speeds up copper connections.
Loading ...The arrival of G.Fast is now having an impact, with 46 pilot areas helping to boost ultrafast coverage. However Openreach has reiterated calls for industry and government to work together for ‘widespread’ FTTP coverage.
“The new ultrafast broadband packages announced by BT today gives a lucky few a taster of what is to come in the UK broadband market,” commented Rob Hilborn, head of strategy at Broadband Genie. “These sorts of speeds will be more than enough for the vast majority of the population for some time. The addition of a speed guarantee is also a nice move by BT.
“However, although these packages come with lofty speed promises, they also come with a hefty price tag. We recommend those that are able to upgrade to these packages first consider a standard fibre package rather than simply jumping up to the fastest package available, as for most this will be more than adequate and save you a significant amount of cash.”
“Unfortunately, while this announcement is good for some, it’s likely only going to further frustrate many of those fighting for the most basic of broadband connections.”
