Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Virgin Media tests 8Gbps broadband
A handful of homes in Cambridgeshire [UK] have tested broadband speeds of 8Gbps, as part of a trial by Virgin Media.
Currently only eight households, in the village of Papworth, are involved in the trial but Virgin Media hopes to extend this to 50 over time.
The technology it uses, ethernet passive optical network, offers the same speeds for downloads and uploads.
One analyst said it was important that fibre operators future-proofed networks and ensured there was enough capacity.
[...] "With the volume of our customers' internet usage almost doubling every year, trials like this will ensure we have the capability to meet the demand of data-hungry services in the future - be that over cable or full fibre," said Richard Sinclair, executive director of connectivity at Virgin Media.
He added that the trial was aiming to look ahead "to the next decade and beyond".
[...] Virgin Media's network in the UK currently passes more than 14 million premises, using a combination of cable and fibre-optic.
The company has been criticised by some for failing to address the digital divide and concentrating its network in more profitable towns and cities, rather than extending it out to more rural areas.
Last year, it teamed up with Need4Speed to roll out ultra-fast services to 4,000 premises in the Test Valley, in Hampshire, but has admitted it is unlikely to reach very rural areas.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday February 06 2019, @10:00PM
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