1gig symmetric

[chaski]

1gig symmetric is becoming pretty common in the US.

I already have the 1gig package BT offer, and I am pleased with it, however it would be good to have access to more upload as services increasingly become more interconnected, cloud based, or decentralised. For example, self-hosting your own cloud/NAS for personal and private use and protecting your data. When you start to add multiple users in the house + all the services, backing up, sending etc etc it does add up and even 100Mbit up can feel like a bottleneck. 

E.g. streaming high def CCTV from my home, watching family videos, sending shareable links from my NAS to family/friends so that they can see them without me having to host them on a third party platform.

I appreciate that you can probably already get this as a business user, but I'm specifically talking about a private residential line here... but (finally) the question is...

..do BT have any plans to increase the amount of upload offered to customers who want premium connections?

[j0hn83 · Accepted solution]

The current answer is no, for technical, regulatory and financial reasons.

OpenReach have deployed FTTP using GPON which is not symmetrical.

GPON provides 2.5Gb down and 1.25Gb up, shared between a PON of up to 30 homes (the Splitters actually have 32 ports, not 30, but 2 should be kept as spare (this doesn't always happen)).

If OpenReach allowed anyone on GPON to have 1Gbps upload then it could seriously saturate the PON.

CityFibre do symmetrical gigabit over GPON but they aren't regulated like OpenReach and don't have the same committed and prioritzed rates OpenReach do.

In time OpenReach will likely offer symmetrical gigabit over XGS-PON (an upgrade to GPON that uses the same fibre) but i expect this to be priced for business customers.

OpenReach also have a very large leased line income and won't be in any hurry to lower that income with dirt cheap symmetrical residential services.

[chaski]

Thanks, very useful info.

Are you aware if BT do offer higher speed services to business via the same network?

[pippincp]

If you want to go higher speed you'll need a leased business line if you can afford it.