G.fast is from the FTTC product portfolio, and simply put is a superfast variant. This new technology can deliver headline rates over 100Mbit/s by using higher frequencies than previously available. G.Fast delivery requires new hardware to be supplied at cabinet level, which will limit availability. In addition to new street infrastructure, the length of the line to the cabinet will influence availability - currently only lines shorter than 250 meters will be shown as supporting G.Fast. We are expecting a fast rollout program to the cabinets, and we expect the 250m rule to also increase.
Currently there are two variants:
| G.fast End User Downstream Throughput Rates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Product (Downstream / Upstream) |
Standard Minimum Best Efforts Downstream Throughput (Mbps) | |
| 160/30 | 95 | |
| 330/50 | 195 | |
There is currently no SLA on upstream throughput on the G.fast product.
The installation process for G.fast mirrors the process for FTTC when it was released. Openreach engineers will need to visit the premises to upgrade the phone socket, and supply a modem. We expect it to move to a self-installation process in due course, but currently it can only be supplied as part of a managed engineer visit.
