BT launches all-singing converged 5G product for... oof... £58 a month

BT has launched a new 5G mobile and fixed-line home broadband service, dubbed Halo, in a bid to muscle into the converged market. The service is available from a mere £57.99 per month, although existing 5G customers with BT Plus plans will be automatically upgraded to benefit from Halo. It is the latest move towards BT's plan …

[anthonyhegedus]

Isn’t this just a cynical attempt to make it look like BT have a new product, yet again. It’s just one package that includes mobile and home broadband. So what? It just gets people locked in to BT.

And now it’s 2027 for full fibre to everywhere is it? I’ll believe it when I see it.

[Mike Shepherd]

I’ll believe it when I see it.

BT were wittering about "fibre to the home" at least 35 years ago, when the only companies now offering it (at any realistic price) didn't even exist.

BT is the company that didn't want to introduce ADSL because it competed with their overpriced business services and they couldn't imagine more than a fraction of homes using the internet.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I’ll believe it when I see it.

You'll find BT wanted to roll out full fibre all those years ago.

A woman called Margaret Thatcher stopped them doing it.

[BebopWeBop]

Re: I’ll believe it when I see it.

True - to some extent. They also wanted rights over the distribution of a lot of online media (think Netflix before Netflix) and the discussions were related to that as a market distortion factor - which may well have been true but then we don't have universal fibre now anyway so the marketplace has not done a great deal of good. In hindsight BTs agreement to do it (if they could be trusted) might have been a better way to wet national infrastructure into place.

[amanfromMars 1]

Re: I’ll believe it when I see it ..... Almighty Powerful Levers for Cyber Rule and Reign

They also wanted rights over the distribution of a lot of online media (think Netflix before Netflix) and the discussions were related to that as a market distortion factor .....BebopWeBop

Which immediately led to fears and concerns about market leading factors. ..... which have still never been addressed.

And 'tis AI FrontLine Territory ....... with Surreal Spooky Actions for Progress Online into and onto Virtually Real Programs Protected by NEUKlearer HyperRadioProACTive IT Operands.

[The Nazz]

£58 a month ...

Ain't that bad, the line rental itself and all the "add ons" , which seem to grow in number and cost each billing period, are heading that way before considering the broadband on top.

[cb7]

Re: £58 a month ...

Too bad Vodafone beat them to it and cheaper too at £50/month. https://www.vodafone.co.uk/gigacube/

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: £58 a month ...

Too bad they are Vodafone

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: £58 a month ...

I don't know, it seems a bit steep to me if you consider that a 4 finger kitkat costs 60p then that would be roughly 387 fingers. You can also take it one further as 8 four finger bars are £2 then we are talking a massive 928 fingers, now I don't know about you but that's a lot of fingers.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: £58 a month ...

My wife said 928 fingers was too much, I said no I can take it.

[Danny 14]

Re: £58 a month ...

Im not bothered enough to click on a BT article. What are the download caps on this? It would be interesting to see how fast it really is. My folks have a three 4G wifi brick, that runs at 40/20 and costs £21 a month with "unlimited data" (somewhere between 100gb and 1tb on acceptable use).

[Pen-y-gors]

Re: £58 a month ...

Yep. £58/month for voice, mobile and broadband doesn't sound too bad. I've just tweaked my BT package for Broadband (FTTP, 150Mbps guarantee), voice, inclusive calls on landline, mobile with 3GB/month and that's about £75.

[Drew Scriver]

Oh man - I can only dream of broadband for £57.99.

$80 a month for 3 Mbps DSL here in rural Virginia and my neighbors pay the same for 1.5 Mbps...

[Warm Braw]

Are you sure about that "converged" broadband + 5G stuff?

Because when I look at the BT Halo page it all seems a bit more pedestrian:

On "Halo 1", you get the offer of a 4G router if your broadband goes down and "double data" if you happen also to have a BT mobile contract. If you go for "Halo 2" you still only get that offer for connectivity, plus a "better" router and the threat of BT "experts" visiting your home.

You have to go to "No Limits" before you get a bundled broadband/phone/mobile package, and they start at an eye-watering £72.99 a month.

[Drew Scriver]

Re: Are you sure about that "converged" broadband + 5G stuff?

£72.99? Where do I sign?!?!

Last time I checked with our local broadband provider they wanted $72,000 just to run the cable to my house...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Are you sure about that "converged" broadband + 5G stuff?

If you are in a rural area, do it yourself. talk to neighbours and landowners you will need to run through ask if they want to get in on it and split the costs of doing it yourself.

[CriticalEagle]

Re: Are you sure about that "converged" broadband + 5G stuff?

Drew Scriver.

You are in Virginia, where this product is not offered and where BT does not trade or do business to my knowledge.

You will also be aware that, in terms of price and what you get for voice and data services varies dramatically from country to country, market to market. There are many countries where customers have access to far faster services for far less money than people in the UK.

It is a pity that you find yourself in that position, but what good does comparing your situation to this do? Are you trying to suggest that the BT Halo prices are cheap? The comparison isn’t really valid is it? It would be like me complaining that the weather is cold here in the UK and someone countering by saying “it’s nowhere near as cold as it is in the Arctic though!” So what? I’m using, as I obviously would, a local frame of reference. You are not.

Forgive me but I don’t think BT are going to be operating in your area anytime soon and nobody here is going to feel lucky just cus there are people who are worse off, like yourself.

[Drew Scriver]

Re: Are you sure about that "converged" broadband + 5G stuff?

Generally speaking pricing of goods and services is similar between Europe and the USA (not counting taxes like VAT and sales tax).

Costs for the telcos are roughly comparable as well. After all, they purchase their equipment from the same vendors. Even installation and construction costs are similar.

For comparison, there are people in my area who pay the same monthly fees for a whopping 128 kbps DSL-service.

Just curious, what are you comparing the cost to?

[katrinab]

I don't see the benefit

I pay £20.99 per month to Plusnet and £20.50 per month to O2.

What do I get for the extra £16.50 per month?

One entry on my bank statement - not a benefit I'm prepared to pay extra for.

5G - not really ready for prime time yet, will be in about a year or two; and it looks like I could get it for about the same price as what I'm paying at the moment anyway.

So, what is the benefit of this "convergence"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I don't see the benefit

Benefits that the extra £16.50 give are that BT don't have to spend money on laying cable to actually give you a better internet connection. Oh sorry just noticed you said what does it give you. Nothing sorry.

[Phil Bennett]

Not their fastest broadband product

I've just had a look at Halo, and they're thrilled to be able to offer me a 100Mbps service (not even the 150Mbps version)!

Sadly, I'm already on a 330Mbps service (I get over 300, I'm basically on top of the green box) - through BT g.fast.

Shame really, as g.fast isn't a cheap option, but I'm not dropping to a third the speed.

[Anonymous Coward]

Waiting for 6G

I hear that without that pesky EU, we will get our broadband speeds back!

[Strahd Ivarius]

Re: Waiting for 6G

Of course, but only for internal traffic, you will have to wait for agreements with other countries before being allowed to go to the WWW instead of the GBW...

[Anonymous Coward]

Halo is a Microsoft Trademark.

Did BT even check this?

Halo is a Microsoft International Trademark, covering technological services.

Whether it happens or not, I doubt it will be called BT Halo.

Important to those decison makers out there looking at Boris Johnson's pledges:

Without the ubiquitous fibre backhaul in the ground, there is no such thing a ubiquitous 5G, people should remember that fundamental point, it's key.

Each 5G cell requires a fibre backhaul for handover/control and importantly, data throughput. The 5G part is just the radio connection between the device and cell.

People seem think we'll have this continuous 5G radio signal in the sky covering the whole of the UK that everything connects to, that's not how it works folks.

[ExampleOne]

Re: Halo is a Microsoft Trademark.

MS might have a registered trademark on Halo, but that doesn't mean it's defensible. Just like they have a registered trademark on Windows, which is probably not defensible, considering they abruptly settled out of court the one time they tried!

Halo as a term massively predates Microsofts trademark, and is used in a manner that actually fit very nicely to how BT are using it here: The halo product being the desirable top end product that adds brand value to the entire line.

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe musK

Will come in and see a market ripe for his sats He could offer the whole shebang for twelve and thruppence ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Maybe Musk

Musk could do it as a poster child for Scotland (much like the Australian 100MW Battery farm).

BT would be absolutely shafted. Pretty incredible when you look at how all the low orbit satellites interact via laser, whoever thought those interactions through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giQ8xEWjnBs

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Yes but do they allow mobile hotspot/tethering?