BT launches 330Mbps FTTP service, sort of

Applications and Research

The UK incumbent BT says it will begin to offer 300Mbps broadband service in the areas where it has rolled out fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks. The service comes with a 20 Mbps upload speed and costs £50 per month plus BT line rental, which is currently £15.45 per month. 

Only a select few will be able to order the new service, however, as FTTP is only available to 100,000 homes across the country. The announcement also didn’t say exactly when the new service would be introduced, merely noting that it would be “later this year”.

BT describes the new service as the fastest from “all the major ISPs”, which conveniently overlooks offerings from smaller specialist players in the UK, such as the 1 Gbps package from Hyperoptic.

Elsewhere in the country, BT is continuing with its £2.5 billion commercial fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) deployment, which should eventually reach two thirds of all premises in the UK and has already passed the half-way mark. The roll out is expanding as the operator signs contracts with local authorities under the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) programme, and could eventually extend to at least 90% of premises.

Businesses within the FTTC network footprint will also be able to order “fibre on demand”, where customers can pay to have a fibre-optic cable installed from their premises to the nearest BT cabinet.  The new product was supposed to roll out in spring 2013, but appears to be late.  BT says it is considering whether to offer a similar product to residential customers.

Take up of BT’s consumer “Infinity” product remains relatively poor, however. Out of the 15 million homes that can order the service, only 1.3 million subscribers have actually signed up, according to BT’s financial report on 31 March 2013.
 
By Pauline Rigby

See Also: 
Press release: BT supercharges BT Infinity packagesere to edit.