"Multicast services"?

Just put my number into BT's DSL checker to see if anything has changed (I can already get and have FTTC) and I notice it now says this:

"Furthermore your exchange is due to be enabled for multicast services on fibre lines by 22nd June 2012, please contact your provider for further details."

What BTw/OR product is this referring to and would it be anything particularly interesting (I'm aware of what multicast is) - and is it a 21CN and/or FTT* specific feature?

Yes I am celebrating tonight.

Not only has my cabinet been enabled on the database (coincidence that I emailed Openreach about it on Monday of course) but this is now mentioned as well.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a fibre technology with an estimated WBC FTTC Broadband where consumers have received downstream line speed of 58.5Mbps and upstream line speed of 18Mbps.

The actual stable line speed supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This speed may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained.

Furthermore your exchange is due to be enabled for multicast services on fibre lines by 22nd June 2012, please contact your provider for further details.

Multicast will enable BT to broadcast one to many TV channels - a much more efficient use of their backbone capacity.

Similarly the Beeb.

In reply to a post by Colin_London:

Yes I am celebrating tonight.

Not only has my cabinet been enabled on the database (coincidence that I emailed Openreach about it on Monday of course) but this is now mentioned as well.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a fibre technology with an estimated WBC FTTC Broadband where consumers have received downstream line speed of 58.5Mbps and upstream line speed of 18Mbps.

The actual stable line speed supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This speed may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained.

Furthermore your exchange is due to be enabled for multicast services on fibre lines by 22nd June 2012, please contact your provider for further details.

Multicast will enable BT to broadcast one to many TV channels - a much more efficient use of their backbone capacity.

Yeah. Multicasting was in the original GEA specification many years ago. I've been wondering what became of it. I vaguely recall from the Power Point presentation that they've designed it to be CP agnostic. That is - you can multicast a single stream to users with different ISPs. Lemme see if I can find that presentation. I think it was Clueless & Witless developing it.

Edit:
http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/super-...

and

http://www.telecompaper.com/news/openreach-to-launch...

Edited by Andrue (Thu 21-Jun-12 13:00:47)