Openreach, BT’s network division, has announced the next 18 exchanges to benefit from FTTP On Demand, making speeds of up to 330Mbps available to more people.
The majority of exchanges to benefit from the rollout are in Cornwall, Devon and Wales but the Brighton Portslade exchange is also on the rollout map.
Exchanges at the following locations will be able to offer FTTP On Demand to customers at the end of September:
Bangor (North Wales), Bodmin, Brighton Portslade, Bude, Camborne, Devoran, Hayle, Helston, Launceston, Liskeard, Newquay, Par, Penzance, Port Talbot, St.Austell, Stenalees, Truro, Woburn Sands
Read Recombu’s guide to BT Fibre On DemandFTTP On Demand is an upgrade service aimed at people connected to BT’s fibre-based FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) lines. Right now it’s pretty pricey and only aimed at businesses. The plan is that everyone who wants a pure fibre broadband line will be able to get one in the future.
As the last mile of an FTTC line is made of copper and not fibre-optic cable, it’s not a pure fibre connection. Speeds on Openreach FTTC lines currently provide top speeds of 80Mbps and by upgrading to FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) you can get download speeds of up to 330Mbps.
Openreach intends to make FTTP On Demand available at all of its fibre-enabled exchanges. Once take up of FTTP On Demand increases it’s expected that it’ll be released for the general public, but BT hasn’t indicated when this is likely to happen yet.
A BT spokesperson told us that exchanges have been prioritised based on a mixture of demand from ISPs, training programmes for Openreach engineers and the Urban Broadband Fund’s connected vouchers scheme.
FTTP On Demand will be offered by a number of other ISPs, who will likely spread the installation costs Openreach charges over the length of a contract. It’s thought that we could see ISPs offering FTTP On Demand towards the end of the year or in early 2014.
Leave a Reply