BT commences ultrafast trials

A select number of customers have been experiencing the power of 'ultrafast' broadband following the start of BT's trials.

The communications giant has set up its first customers with its 330 Mbps 'G.fast' ultrafast broadband in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire this week (25 August).

Plans are in place to extend the G.fast service to customers in Swansea and the North East of England in the coming months, but it will remain a select few who are able to access these speeds for some time to come.

The technology makes use of a specially equipped cabinet and runs a fast link from that cabinet to a distribution point before using noise cancelling on the route from distribution point to the home to enable the speed to be boosted without the need to remove the old copper cabling.

John Whittingdale, culture secretary, praised the “continued investment and innovation in the industry.”

He added: “BT is harnessing its world-class technology and engineering expertise to help the UK lead the way on ultrafast broadband and remain a world-leading digital economy.”

The company has estimated that G.fast will mean that millions of premises will be able to access speeds of a few hundred megabits per second by 2020, while it reckons speeds of up to 500Mbps will reach most of the UK within a decade as development continues.

While innovative technology like G.fast is gradually being rolled out, the infrastructure required is a huge investment in terms of both money and time. In the meantime, businesses that need the speed of services like G.fast for their operations, but who also want control and a reliable service, are exploring their options with alternatives like leased lines.

hSo provides leased lines and other managed network options designed for business - to get an instant cost for a leased line at your location, visit our online leased line price checker.