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Virgin Media now offers up to 100 Mbps broadband as standard
Virgin Media's slowest fibre broadband package is now faster than the top speeds offered by other mainstream UK providers. In its first tariff reshuffle in some time, Virgin is scrapping its up to 50 Mbps plan, making the up to 100 Mbps package the new entry-level tier. What's more, there's now a VIVID 300 plan promising top speeds of 300 Mbps, which eclipses the best competitors like BT, Sky and TalkTalk can offer (up to 76 Mbps max). Virgin first made up to 300 Mbps fibre available this time last year, but only as a special upgrade aimed at home workers. Today it becomes a more visible option for regular consumers.
EVs, 5G and fintech: How the Autumn Statement affects UK tech
Another Autumn Statement, another set of promises that may or may not improve the lives of British citizens. Amongst the usual tax and welfare modifications, chancellor Philip Hammond announced some new policies that will affect the technology, science and transport industries. Most of them are bundled in the new National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF), a long-term project designed to make the public more efficient in the workplace, improving the UK economy and people's work-life balance in the process. In total, the government says it will spend an extra £23 billion through the fund, starting in 2017/18 and ending in 2021/22.
BT boosts entry-level fibre broadband speeds to 52Mbps
In its mission to supply the UK with faster broadband, BT has announced a new speed upgrade for Infinity fibre customers. New and existing entry-level subscribers can now enjoy up to 52Mbps, a 32 percent increase from their previous 38Mbps connection. BT is keen to advertise that the new Infinity 1 package gives customers faster speeds than similar packages from Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin. Sky and TalkTalk share the same Openreach networks as BT, meaning that it'll only be a matter of time until they launch their own 52Mbps packages. While Virgin Media's basic offering comes in slightly lower than BT at 50Mbps, its business plans reach a whopping 300Mbps, compared to Infinity 2's 78Mbps.
5Gbps broadband is coming to Britain, for £399 per month
Words like "superfast" and "ultrafast" are thrown around all the time to describe UK home broadband. Of course, what we really want to know are the cold, hard numbers. Download and upload speeds, man. That's why Gigaclear has us champing at the bit with its latest announcement -- it's trialling 5Gbps broadband, right now, with a small group of customers in Oxfordshire. If you've never heard of Gigaclear before, we don't blame you. The company was founded in 2010 and only operates in 36 rural communities, spread across five English counties. You can check your postcode here, but the chances of you falling under its custom fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network are slim. And even if you own one of the 10,000 homes with Gigaclear access, you'll have to pay some serious cash for the faster speeds. The company will be charging £399 per month for homeowners and £1,500 for businesses when the trial expands to all Gigaclear customers next year. Got a Scrooge McDuck pile of cash in your basement? Otherwise, this is all just a pipe dream.
Vodafone's home broadband service opens to all
After a three-year hiatus, Vodafone returned to the home broadband game this summer, starting out with a limited service available in just a few counties. A few months later, it expanded the launch to everywhere its underground infrastructure (licenced and owned) covered, but only offered the "Connect" broadband service to existing Vodafone mobile customers. Today, the company announced it's now available to everyone, not just those it has on its books already. Assuming Vodafone Connect is available in your area, you can get up to 17 Mbps ADSL for a tenner a month, up to 38 Mbps fibre for twice that, or up to 76 Mbps fibre for £25 per month.
Vodafone's home broadband service is now live across the UK
Two months ago, Vodafone started selling home broadband in the UK again. The service was only available to a small group of customers in Manchester, however, as well as parts of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. Well, now the company is opening the floodgates. Any Vodafone customer can sign up for the service, which is separated into three tiers: Broadband ADSL (up to 17Mbps), Superfast Fibre Broadband (up to 38Mbps) and Superfast Fibre+ Broadband (up to 76Mbps). The provider is relying on BT's Openreach infrastructure to do the heavy lifting, as well as the Cable & Wireless backbone it acquired in 2012.
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.
Sky's latest fibre broadband deal is free for an entire year
Broadband providers typically try to attract new customers by offering attractively low prices for an introductory period. Eventually, the monthly cost of these contracts shoot up to compensate for the discounted rate you've been paying up until then, but this is where Sky's latest fibre broadband deal is a little bit different. As of today, Sky's basic fibre package (usually £10 per month) is now free for an entire year; and, better yet, the minimum contract term is 12 months, which effectively means you can pay nothing for broadband for the entire length of the contract. We know what you're thinking: hang on a second, where's the catch?
Vodafone returns to broadband with 'Connect'
More than three years after it left the market, Vodafone has made a return to broadband. After months of teasing, the carrier has unveiled 'Connect,' a new internet and home phone service that will initially only be available to existing customers. Like many of its rivals, including Sky and TalkTalk, Vodafone will piggyback on BT's Openreach infrastructure (although it is utilising the Cable & Wireless backbone it acquired in 2012), offering 17Mbps speeds as part of its basic package, or 76Mbps fibre in its top-tier plan.
BT under pressure to sort out super-slow broadband installations
We all want super-fast internet in our homes, but for many people that's borderline impossible, because there's no fibre optic infrastructure in their area. When they're told that a connection is finally available, it can also feel like forever before engineers set up the line. If you've ever been in a similar situation, then you might be interested in Ofcom's latest proposals. The regulator is considering new rules that would force Openreach, a BT-owned division that manages UK broadband connections, to react faster to new "leased line" orders from business customers (which includes internet service providers).
Virgin Media claims its new wireless hub is the fastest in the land
Even if your home is in the best area for fibre broadband, and you're paying for the fastest speeds, a cheap router can let you down. Slow and patchy wireless connectivity is commonplace in the UK, in part because internet service providers (ISPs) give their subscribers ropey hardware to plug into the wall. Virgin Media claims its new Super Hub 2ac will make a difference though. The combined modem and router offers both 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless channels, with the latter supporting speeds of up to 1300Mbps. It leverages the 802.11ac wireless standard, though should you prefer some good old-fashioned cables there are also four Gigabit Ethernet ports waiting in reserve.
BT says faster broadband is coming, but it could take 10 years
Everyone in the UK wants super-fast broadband in their home. The most reliable and effective solution right now is fibre, which every internet provider uses as the backbone for their network nationwide. But there's a problem -- the fibre often stops at the street cabinet, and many customers are limited by the slower copper cables running up their driveways. While fibre can be installed for the final leg, it's expensive, so companies such as BT are looking for new ways to give their traditional copper a speed boost. One approach is "G.fast," a technology that uses a wider frequency band to increase performance. It works best over shorter distances, although rural homes can still be supported via remote nodes and distribution points, which bring the fibre connection closer to the property.
BT admits it's not even close to hitting its original fibre broadband target
When BT first set out plans to connect Britain with fibre optic broadband, it wanted to get 25 percent of homes on its network online without using old copper cables. That meant fibre optic wires running straight into your home, rather than just to your local cabinet on the street, where BT's aging infrastructure has to make the final push. Alas, the company's plans didn't pan out and it eventually resorted to its copper network to get fibre connections in more homes in a shorter space of time. However, that means slower downloads; while BT's fibre-to-your-door can get you speeds of up to 300 Mbps, its copper lines top out at 80 Mbps (although it could theoretically get a whole lot faster).
Google's not bringing its super-fast fiber internet to the UK anytime soon
Google's only really dipping its toe in the fiber infrastucture racket at the moment, but plans are afoot to slowly expand its Fiber gigabit internet service elsewhere. According to a report from The Telegraph, the search giant is even looking as far afield as the UK, and was discussing the possibility with local network provider CityFibre. Its sources claim CityFibre has since gotten cold feet on the basis it could jeopardize a deal it has with Sky and TalkTalk to bring gigabit internet to parts of York and beyond. While that all sounds plausible and we hate to crush the dreams of speed freaks, Google has told us it's never had any such plans.
Sky goes it alone for its latest fibre broadband trial
Currently at the mercy of BT, Sky has indicated that it wants to build its own fibre-optic broadband network for some time. Having partnered with providers to deliver TV broadcasts over cables and teamed up with TalkTalk to supply gigabit (1000 Mbps) broadband to select customers in York, the company has decided to go it alone for its latest fibre trial. In Basingstoke, Sky's building its own fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network that's capable of delivering speeds of up to 950 Mbps over an ethernet connection (150 Mbps over WiFi), far outstripping those offered by rivals BT and Virgin Media (which currently top out at 300 Mbps).
EE opens its broadband packages to all
After initially limiting connections to mobile customers, EE is throwing its broadband packages open to everyone. With BT and Virgin Media firmly in its sights, the company has slashed the cost of its internet bundles, allowing customers to sign up for a 17Mbps connection for just £2.50 a month. Don't expect them to stay that low, though, as EE will hike prices after the 12-month promotion expires. Once it does, the £2.50 and £7.50 tiers rise to £9.95 and £12.95 respectively. Getting fibre broadband is also cheaper for a time, starting at £5 for a 38Mbps connection, but increases sharply to £19.95 after just three months.
Sky and TalkTalk join forces against BT for faster fibre-optic broadband
If you're a broadband provider like Sky or TalkTalk, one of the only ways you can get around using BT's infrastructure is to build your own. That's exactly what the two companies are intent on doing, after it was announced today that they'll be teaming up to provide faster fibre-optic connections in a number of UK cities. With a little help from network provider CityFibre, they'll begin piping gigabit (1000 Mbps) broadband direct to homes and businesses in York, eliminating the need to rely on BT's Openreach, which serves 300 Mbps connections and means BT gets a cut of Sky and TalkTalk's cash. It's the latest in a number of smaller deals for Sky, after it signalled it would take on Virgin Media by delivering TV, broadband and landline services over fibre connections to some areas of the UK. But what does it mean for you? Well, if you live in a supported area of York, you'll be able to choose Sky or TalkTalk as your fibre-optic broadband supplier from 2015. If you don't reside in the historic city, there are plans to expand the fibre networks to two more cities across the UK. BT will continue to operate its own service regardless. Although Sky and TalkTalk will be partners in the new venture, they'll be competing for customers in those chosen markets, likely driving down the the cost of gigabit broadband in the process.
Sky looks to fibre-optic networks to bring you TV without the dish
Sure, Sky's been quick to embrace streaming, but the broadcasting giant has relied upon the humble satellite dish to bring TV to your home for almost two decades. However, there may soon be a conspicuous absence of those little black dishes in some parts of the UK after the company confirmed it'll soon start using fibre-optic networks to deliver its TV, broadband and telephone services. To facilitate this, Sky's teamed up with British network provider GTC to integrate its service into new-build homes, opening access to its TV packages, landline phone service and up to 300Mbps broadband in the process. The deal takes Sky into Virgin Media territory, where its rival offers similar packages over cable networks. It could end up stifling Virgin's own expansion plans in those areas, although the reach of Sky's commandeered fibre-optic network will be relatively small. Sky can't seem to shake it's reliance on traditional over-the-air broadcasting though, as the TV signal is actually being fed from a large, centralised satellite receiver. Right now, Sky taps BT's fibre-optic infrastructure to deliver super-fast broadband to homes across the UK, but limits TV content to online on-demand services like Sky Go and Now TV. Does this mean Sky is about to drop the satellite dish in favour of super-fast fibre for the whole of the UK? Not just yet, but one thing's for sure, Virgin Media will be watching with a keen interest.
BT Infinity customers to get 320Mbps top speed, 802.11ac HomeHub 5 by end of the year
The BT HomeHub 4 router has barely had time to settle in, and yet already a prototype of its replacement is being callously shown off at PR events in London. It'll support the still-maturing 802.11ac standard, should you come to own any compatible devices, and is to become the default router shipped to new Infinity fiber customers -- we're just not sure exactly when, as BT execs have only indicated that it'll be towards the end of the year. Equally exciting (and equally imprecise) is a second promise that the current 160Mbps max speed on the top-end Infinity plan will be increased to 320Mbps, at a cost of £50 per month. Though the new service tier and Home Hub may be slow in coming, they'll at least be fast once they get here.
BT kicks off 330Mbps 'FTTP on Demand' trials, reveals pilot locations
Not everyone is apparently in love with British operator BT's green boxes. Still, that isn't stopping the company from serving up its high-fiber diet to those who want to have speedy Internet connections. For its latest project, BT's Openreach division has started offering an "FTTP on Demand" program that provides fiber-to-the-premises at 330Mbps speeds to folks or businesses who order the service. The project will be done in phases at eight locations, starting with High Wycombe, Bristol South and St Agnes, Cornwall in July. Next up is Edinburgh's Waverley exchange in September followed by Watford, Cardiff, Basingstoke and Manchester Central in 2013. Communications providers can decide to cover installation costs by absorbing a one-off charge, having higher monthly fees or passing the whole thing to the consumer. Want to gobble up more info about BT's latest fiber-filled broadband service? Then check out the good, old PR after the break.
