Vodafone UK links arms with Openreach to build out its full-fibre network

Vodafone has inked a deal with BT's Openreach to expand its gigabit broadband network by 500,000 premises – on top of its existing deal with alternative network provider CityFibre for 5 million premises. From spring 2020 Vodafone will begin using Openreach's Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) pipes in Birmingham, Bristol and …

[djstardust]

Hmmm

We were supposed to be getting Cityfibre this year but it's not looking good. I asked Vodafone about it and they had no info about a go live date (quelle surprise). Given the streets aren't getting dug up I think this year is looking slim.

We are currently on Vodafone fibre through BT. At 3am we get 75mbps and at peak times (like yesterday evening) it's down to around 4mbps and totally unusable.

I really despair with the state of UK broadband. Plenty talk from all sides but little action.

[A K Stiles]

Re: Hmmm

Yep Cityfibre have been all around me for the last 12 months or more, digging up streets and verges and putting in fibre, except on the street past my house for some reason.

We are on FTTP from BT which claims 50Mbps whenever I do a speedtest, but stuff like Prime video is always complaining about a lack of bandwidth...

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Hmmm

If you test at 50Mbps and Prime can't find the bandwidth where do you think the bottleneck might be?

[Dave123]

Re: Hmmm

If you’re surrounded by houses, the bottleneck is probably the wifi connection. The free routers are rubbish at coping with interference.

[djstardust]

Re: Hmmm

We're in a solid granite house with 2 foot thick walls. Nothing at all gets through that!

[R0bb1eB]

Re: Hmmm @ A K Stiles

I thought BT's FTTP was supposed to be 330 mbps download... Are you speed testing via a wired ethernet connection directly to your hub? Only 50 mbps sounds like time for compensation....

[Anonymous Coward]

This is all getting very incestuous, I hope there isn't a cartel forming.

[steelpillow]

So, are we all to get Fibre To The Cabinet"Premises" now because Vodafone know their 5G will never cut it?

(Disclaimer: right now I get faster broadband from their 4G than from BT's so-called FTTCP cabinet down the road).

[Ragarath]

What is an FTTCP cabinet?

It's either FTTC or FTTP. Are BT trying to pawn of that FTTC is actually FTTP in some places?

[phuzz]

"Are BT trying to pawn of that FTTC is actually FTTP in some places?"

Not quite, but they say things like "get the advantages of fibre internet in your home", which is sort of correct, FTTC is generally better than a bit of wet string/ADSL, but it does imply that the fibre is coming all the way into your home, rather than stopping just up the road.

Alas, BT and their lawyers know exactly how far they can bend the truth in advertising, without crossing over into an actual falsehood.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Are BT trying to pawn of that FTTC is actually FTTP in some places?"

That has been consistent with stats they have pumped out in the past around our FTTC rollout and, I hear, various others. Shome marketeer's mishtake, Shirly. >cough!<

[Flak]

Vodafone keeping its options open

No surprise that Vodafone is looking to augment its choice of providers of FTTP solutions with the use of Openreach.

This will keep both CityFibre and Openreach honest.

Just wait until VirginMedia is added to the portfolio... Given the MVNO deal between Vodafone and VirginMedia, perhaps there is more to come in the fixed line market, too.