BT confirms G.fast plans for homes and businesses

BT has revealed it hopes to roll out G.fast internet, which will provide speeds of between 500Mbps and 1Gbps to homes and businesses around the UK.

The company will start with trials, calling for 4,000 homes and businesses to volunteer in the pilot, with tests beginning in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire and Gosforth near Newcastle. The technology will be installed from 2016/2017 and the whole country should have access by 2020.

BT's chief executive Gavin Patterson said: "We believe G.fast is the key to unlocking ultrafast speeds and we are prepared to upgrade large parts of our network should the pilots prove successful. That upgrade will depend however on there continuing to be a stable regulatory environment that supports investment."

G.fast allows ISPs to get fibre broadband closer to the home, with the final leg into homes provided by copper wires, which can be installed without digging up gardens, meaning speeds are boosted and implemented faster in comparison to traditional fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) connections, despite using existing equipment.

Initial trials will boost connection speeds to 500Mbps, but BT claimed this can be increased to 1Gbps for select homes and businesses opting in for its premium fibre broadband service.

The company has already tested the technology at its Suffolk-based labs, but the new trials will help test the service in live environments.

Patterson finished: "The UK is ahead of its major European neighbours when it comes to broadband and we need to stay ahead as customer demands evolve. G.fast will allow us to do that by building on the investment we have made in fibre to date. It will transform the UK broadband landscape from superfast to ultrafast in the quickest possible timeframe."