GTC and Sky Sign 300Mbps FTTH Broadband and TV Deal for New UK Builds

[Scubbie]

GTC and Sky Sign 300Mbps FTTH Broadband and TV Deal for New UK Builds - ISPreview UK

Utility infrastructure provider GTC has signed a new deal with Sky (Sky Broadband) that will make available a bundle of premium TV services, fixed-line home phone and fibre optic broadband speeds of up to 300Mbps (Megabits per second) to future new build homes across the United Kingdom.

GTC is a fully Lloyds accredited multi-utility provider, which typically works alongside house builders to roll-out gas, electric, water and also Internet connectivity into various new builds across the country.

The firm’s website reveals that their most recent deployment, which was agreed during February 2014, involves 1,134 plots on a contract in Upper Heyford with Bovis Homes and The Dorchester Group, where the developer has installed a combined utility solution.

The highlight of this build in Upper Heyford was a Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network that can deliver broadband speeds of up to 300Mbps (i.e. very similar to BT’s FTTP service). A bit more digging also reveals that their platform can technically already deliver speeds of up to 1000Mbps (here).

Paul Summers, Regional Sales Manager at GTC, says:

“Unlike fibre to the cabinet (FTTC), fibre to the home does not suffer from declining speeds with distance from the exchange. Laying fibre optic cable right to each home ensures homeowners will be able to enjoy the best of today’s fibre offerings and know that the network is future proofed to support further advances in technology. The fibre connection will be fully installed and ready for use when the homeowner moves in.”

GTC are also known to be conducting various other developments but one product they haven’t yet been able to bundle in is a proper TV service, until now. Under a new deal Sky (BSkyB) will offer a full range of their premium TV services, including Sky+ HD, to those homes who take GTC’s fibre optic broadband connectivity.

Apparently this solution avoids the need for individual Satellite dishes, which is what Sky normally uses, and delivers TV + all other services via fibre cables directly into homes, utilising a Fibre Integrated Reception System (FIRS) that comprises a central satellite receiver and aerial array, to serve the whole new-build site.

Suffice to say that it’s very encouraging to see more new build home developers adopting FTTP/H style services instead of slower hybrid fibre solutions like FTTC, or even older pure copper lines through ADSL2+. It’s usually more cost effective to build fibre optic networks from a blank slate than to come back later and dig up roads, pathways etc. More of this please.

[James_Mitchell]

So basically those that already have access to fast broadband, will soon get even faster broadband. Like FTTH is ever going to be installed outside large towns/cities.

[Scubbie]

BTO are still trying to sell FTTP/H but no one wants to pay something like £100 per month, with upwards of £500 installation costs.

The article above is specifically discussing a deal which Sky has struck with GTC to have FTTP installed with new homes. Technically they didn't have anything, not even the roof before.

[bubblegun]

In case anyone is interested in this product, this company https://www.seethelight.co.uk/ have appeared offering this service.

They charge £89 for install if you need a Sky dish!

[skippy75]

I never understand why FTTH costs so much more per month? I get the installation cost of running the cables but why does it cost hundreds a month after that?

[Scubbie]

The additional speed can produce additional traffic. I guess that someone has equated that the additional speeds therefore need to be paid for.

Of course in due course the costs will drop as the faster kit reduces in price, but by then even more speedier connections will have become available.

It wasn't that long ago the ISDN connections cost an arm and a leg! Now many providers are supplying ADSL2+ connections at under £5 per month.

[skippy75]

The additional speed can produce additional traffic. I guess that someone has equated that the additional speeds therefore need to be paid for.

Of course in due course the costs will drop as the faster kit reduces in price, but by then even more speedier connections will have become available.

It wasn't that long ago the ISDN connections cost an arm and a leg! Now many providers are supplying ADSL2+ connections at under £5 per month.

Yes I can understand you'd use a bit more data if it was that much faster but its just such an enormous jump in price. As you say I suppose it is just like days past when a 128k ISDN connection would cost a fortune. Shame though!

[Scubbie]

Reading about the fact that the UK Gov. now wants BT to start talking about FTTP/B/H and switching off the copper lines starting from 2025, I think that the prices will start dropping soon enough.

Things have improved quite a lot from the days with 9600baud Modems to what we have today.

If you just consider how much data many of us can pull down in a week, perhaps even a day, and try to think how long it would have taken on even a 128kb connection to download that much data, you'd be worried.

Still, in 10 years we'll all be thinking how on earth we could have managed with our 100mb connections.

[reddwarfcrew]

It's all a bit irrelevant when your ISP can't even be bothered to provide a gigabit router.

[bubblegun]

It's all a bit irrelevant when your ISP can't even be bothered to provide a gigabit router.

Apparently a Hub V3 is in the works.
All the staff communication said is that the poor Ethernet speeds and lack of the latest WiFi standards are issues for some customers and will be tackled in a future product that is "being developed".

I can post the details but they are at work and I would need to type them manually or OCR scan them, so I will update this post/thread in a few days.
This info isn't really a surprise and a new router is due soon since there has been a new router each year for the past 3 years around this time.