According to the company, G.fast will initially offer download rates of 'a few hundred Mbit/s'. Rates will then increase to around 500Mbit/s as further industry standards are secured and new kit is developed.
"BT is a world leader when it comes to fibre innovation and we are excited about the next stage in our story," said CEO Gavin Patterson, pictured. "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."
The two pilots will start this Summer in Huntingdon and Gosforth, where some 4,000 homes and businesses will be involved. These pilots are said to build on recent tests at Adastral Park, BT's innovation centre. These test are believed to have shown that G.fast has the potential to deliver significant speed increases from existing and new fibre street cabinets as well as from other points closer to the customer. This is an important development as it means the technology can be deployed in a more efficient and rapid manner than previously thought.
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