News - BT facing broadband pressure as it signs up 5 millionth customer

[HEXUS]

Becomes the first UK ISP to pass 5 million customers, but will it have superfast broadband ready in time for the Olympics?

Read more.

[gman1981]

Hmmm, the bit about BT being the only company investing in this area of super fast bb. Surely Virgin Media is investing, they are rolling out 50meg at the moment!

[Funkstar]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they aren't doing much to increase the size of their "superfast" broadband area. Their current policy is to extend the periphery of their network just enough so that both sids or ends of a street are enabled where only one side or one end were previously. They aren't increasing the footprint in any meaningful way.

[Lee H]

Wouldn't they be better also improving the contention ratios from 50:1 so that people actually get the speed they deserve as opposed to getting slowdown at peak times when everyone is online doing various things?

[davidcrofter]

I think it is just stupid for BT to start laying this Fibre Broadband in areas that already have it via cable - surely the government should have stepped in to try and get the majority of the UK ready for the next gen instead of what we will get vast areas stuck on Old Tech for the forseeable future.

And yes you can guess I have no chance of LLU nevermind Cable or Fibre Optic.

[Gordy]

I think it is just stupid for BT to start laying this Fibre Broadband in areas that already have it via cable - surely the government should have stepped in to try and get the majority of the UK ready for the next gen instead of what we will get vast areas stuck on Old Tech for the forseeable future.

And yes you can guess I have no chance of LLU nevermind Cable or Fibre Optic.

Bare in mind most of the areas that have cable already, are the profitable/easy to lay area's. So it would be nuts for BT not to lay fibre there.

[Howl]

Up and running in time for the Olympics? It's annoying that I can practically spit on the Olympic stadium from my flat and yet this area has never had fibre optic cable, BT, Virgin or otherwise.

[pinocchio]

I heard that BT's Fibre to the Cabinet (FTC) is also now going to turn every cabinet into a BT WiFi point.

Anyone know if that's true?

[Funkstar]

I've not heard this, but it would be awesome if it was true.

[DevAnubis]

I heard that BT's Fibre to the Cabinet (FTC) is also now going to turn every cabinet into a BT WiFi point.

Anyone know if that's true?

BT have played with plans for wifi networks for ages. They toyed with getting people to use their HomeHubs to provide two wifi networks, one for their own use and a bandwith-capped public (well, BT OpenZone) link. All that in return for free openzone access for the customer.

But that's never really caught off as far as I've found. Wifi from cabinets would make finding wireless in random residential areas more easy, but how often do you drive around suburbia looking for internet?


Other than BT, Virgin/Telewest/Whatever, there's also other companies investing in fibre networks. Sheffield where I live is getting a rung network through the sweage system next year, from H2O. They prommiss 100Mbps, so that just rains on BT's parade.

[shakesc]

I am finding more and more friends homehubs have a BTOpenzone enabled
Wonder if BT are turning this "feature" on remotely for people...

[baius]

I can practically spit on the Olympic stadium from my flat

If you wouldn't mind?