Reply to post: (Re-worded with Rose tinted glasses removed)

Customer: BT admitted it had 'mis-sold' me fibre broadband

Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward

(Re-worded with Rose tinted glasses removed)

"Over the next three years, BT intends to increase its fibre broadband coverage, rolling out its ultrafast hybrid fibre and copper G.Fast technology to 10 million customers**, which will provide speeds of more than 100Mbps by 2020."

** 1. What is BT defining as the working radius/minimum speed from an FTTC/G.fast Combo cabinet to state 10m customers?

2. Bear in mind Customers can have more than one line, so this isn't 10m premises.

3. Is this being measured as customer passed by potential G.fast? which is not the same as actual service.

4. Are BT actually stating there is a guaranteed 100Mbps+ service, for a successful G.fast order for 10m customers? {I very much doubt it}

5. Given the line cards have a much smaller number of ports per G.fast cabinet. Of the 10m Customer , how many could actually take the service, if all 10m customers wanted it?

Its more like:

Over the next three years, BT intends to increase its broadband coverage, rolling out its 'upto ultrafast' hybrid fibre/copper G.Fast technology to 'upto' 10 million customers, which will provide speeds of 'up to' 100Mbps+ by 2020. i.e. can be between 0Mbps (unorderable) and 100Mbps+ subject to line quality/distance from the FTTC cabinet, (as measured in 10's of meters, not km)

Importantly, if you are more than 300m by cable/150m as the crow flies from the existing FTTC, don't expect G.fast to improve your Broadband, (in this first phase rollout, as its been done)

TFIFY.

There is absolutely no guarantee G.fast will offer 'more than' 100Mbps, like FTTC its a similar 'up to' product, between 0Mbps and 100Mbps+. It has a very narrow focus/working range, 10's of meters from the cabinet and highly subject to interference, low level 'pump noise' (surrounding industry) frequencies. Speeds drops off much more rapidly from the cabinet than FTTC. It's still very much an new untested technology in terms of real world rollout, still in trial, which has been generally tested on 'perfect' brand new copper, not on Alu/Copper mixes with multiple terminations between cab and premises.

In terms of rollout, BT are mapping their coverage 1:1 with existing FTTC cabinets to start with. So unless you're one of the very lucky 10 million customers that live right on top of/next to a new upgraded FTTC/G.fast cabinet combo. I'd say you have much more chance of getting 18Mbps than 80Mbps or a 100Mbps+, after G.fast has been rolled out.

G.fast is a very selective technology, highly dependant on where you live. G.fast (as BT are rolling out) will only really give the people that already have fast FTTC, better G.fast speeds.

If you want G.fast order it quick, on rollout because the number of connections available will be in short supply.

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