BT's latest broadband trial will more than treble download speeds
For the fastest broadband speeds, you normally need fibre optic cables running directly into your home. While that's still the perfect solution, BT will soon be trialling a new technology that could give those on copper a much-needed speed boost. Fibre To The Distribution Point (FTTdp), commonly referred to as "G.fast," uses a wider frequency band to increase data speeds over copper. It works best over short distances, so usually a node is required somewhere between the cabinet and your home to extend the reach of the faster fibre. As ISPreview reports, BT is beginning its first residential trial next month in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, with Gosforth, Newcastle and Swansea to follow. It should be able to deliver "a few hundred megabits per second" at first, although BT says 500 Mbps should be achievable in the future. Given Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) normally tops out at 80 Mbps, this will be a huge jump for households still waiting on full-blown fibre.
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