The last time I reported on the growth in BT’s fibre broadband take-up was in July 2014. Then, the take-up statistics showed absolutely no sign of an increasing upward trend and pointed to the failure of BT and ISPs to successfully get the positive messages of superfast broadband across to consumers and businesses. This was a subject I raised face-to-face with Ed Vaizey and others involved in BDUK-related roll-outs, who were very receptive at the time to the principle of […] . Click here to read the full article.
Superfast broadband
BT Fibre Broadband Take-up Creeps Up to 15%
On the 31st July 2014, BT announced its financial results for the quarter ending June 2014. It announced that its fibre broadband network covered about 20 million premises, and that about 3 million of these had signed up, making take-up about 15% of premises. As shown in the figure below, while the results indicate steady progress, there’s absolutely no sign of an increasing upward trend and point to the failure of BT and ISPs to get the positive messages of […] . Click here to read the full article.
Early Deployment of Vectoring is Essential to Avoid a Crosstalk Crisis with FTTC Fibre Broadband
Latest! Read our most recent article: Fibre Broadband VDSL2 Vectoring Arrives (Nov 2017) We have just been connected to FTTC fibre broadband, giving us the opportunity to observe the adverse effects of crosstalk interference on speeds and Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) margin at first hand. As the penetration of fibre broadband increases, so the likelihood of being adversely affected by crosstalk increases. Internet forums are awash with broadband users reporting declines in connection rates over time. Vectoring is a highly-effective solution to mitigate […] . Click here to read the full article.
Sluggish Take-up of Superfast Broadband Emphasises the Need For Demand Stimulation
As an enthusiast for superfast broadband, widespread availability of superfast broadband services across the UK cannot come too soon! With BT’s commercial fibre broadband roll-out coming to end with the provision of fibre broadband to around two thirds of premises in the UK, government and local authority investment has been essential to roll out superfast broadband to the vast majority of premises. Local BDUK-related schemes across the country are now gathering pace. Recently, BT announced its results for the fourth […] . Click here to read the full article.
Fibre Broadband (FTTC) Self Install and the Risks to Broadband Speeds Without a VDSL Faceplate Filter
The accountants seem to have been actively working in BT recently, with a number interesting, financially-motivated decisions taken. These revolve around optimising BT’s services to better reflect the practical costs of installation of fibre-optic cables for FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) on Demand and FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) equipment in residential and business premises. We have recently reported that BT is significantly increasing the installation costs and monthly rental costs for FTTP on Demand. Another significant area of costs […] . Click here to read the full article.
BT’s Fibre Broadband Penetration is Still Under 14%
BT has just announced its results for the third quarter to the end of December 2013, and they show continued progress in the roll-out of superfast fibre broadband, as shown in the figure, below. BT announced that it had passed more than 18 million premises in the UK with its fibre broadband network by the end of December 2013. BT fibre broadband availability (as a proportion of premises) The figure above shows that BT’s progress has been steady and consistent, […] . Click here to read the full article.
Latest Pricing Positions FTTP as a Niche Product
BT’s Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) on Demand service has been surrounded by a great deal of mystery. While some critics have pointed to Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) technology adopted for BT’s mainstream roll-out as not providing the best long-term, future-proof architecture for superfast broadband, BT and many BDUK-related superfast broadband projects have emphasised the forthcoming nationwide availability of BT’s FTTP on Demand service. Substantial Price Decreases in FTTP on Demand from February 2018 May Fuel FTTP Adoption Just […] . Click here to read the full article.
What’s Involved in a Fibre Broadband Customer Installation?
I was lucky to witness the very first customer installation of superfast fibre broadband associated with the Connecting Cambridgeshire project. The installation itself was very quick, and is captured in the video below (together with before and after speed tests). Thanks to BT Openreach and engineer Ben Williams for allowing me to take photos and video. Before visiting the customer’s premises, the BT Openreach engineer started work at the conventional (non-fibre) street cabinet. The first job was to open up […] . Click here to read the full article.
First Fibre Cabinets For Connecting Cambridgeshire
Connecting Cambridgeshire celebrated its first milestone – the first ten fibre street cabinets going live for the project – at a special event in Grafham. Connecting Cambridgeshire has one of the most ambitious objectives among BDUK-related roll-out programmes, aiming to achieve 98% fibre broadband coverage in Cambridgeshire by the end of 2015. New! To check the availability of superfast and ultrafast broadband in your area, and to find the best deals, use the postcode checker on our Broadband Deals page. […] . Click here to read the full article.
Usage of Superfast Connections is Almost Double Conventional Broadband
Ofcom has published its 2013 Infrastructure Report Update, with some interesting statistics on the state of broadband in the UK. The report shows that superfast broadband networks are now available to 73% of UK premises, up from 65% in 2012. This is mainly due to BT’s Fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) network, which in June 2013 passed 57% of premises, and Virgin Media’s cable network, which offers superfast broadband services to 48% of premises. New! You can check the availability of superfast and […] . Click here to read the full article.