Nationwide Gigabit Rollout

Just out of interest, why are Openreach currently building a product as part of the nationwide gigabit rollout, where the end user can only purchase up to a 900mb package?

They may be missing something here, unless 900mb counts as a gigabit connection

It does.

One gigabit on ethernet is a rate of 1,000,000,000 bits per second. However when you're measuring with a speedtest, it counts only the payload of individual packets, not the TCP/IP or ethernet headers. You'll see a maximum result of 942 Mbps, even though the link itself is a gigabit - that's 942 Mbps of "useful" data and the rest as overhead.

For simplicity, most ISPs refer to this as a "900M" service. It's better to have happy customers who buy a 900M service and get more, than to have unhappy customers who buy a 1000M service and think they are receiving less than they paid for.

EDIT: Openreach themselves refer to the raw bitrate, so in their price list they refer to the product as "up to 1000M/115M" (down/up).

(There's also a 1000M/220M FTTP product, but it's extremely expensive and as a result hardly any ISP sells it)

Edited by candlerb (Tue 02-Nov-21 18:46:36)

I see what you are saying, but by that logic the ISP's should be selling a 942 mb product to use the raw 1 gig bitrate

900mb would be slightly less than 1gb of raw data.

Therefore they are not selling a gigabit product.

In reply to a post by Ripley:

I see what you are saying, but by that logic the ISP's should be selling a 942 mb product to use the raw 1 gig bitrate

900mb would be slightly less than 1gb of raw data.

Therefore they are not selling a gigabit product.

Because retail ISPs can't sell a product at a speed unless 90% of customers can achieve it, thanks to Ofcom rules. This means no isp currently has a "Gigabit" product by your definition, except those using XS-GPON and providing 10G links. Even Vermin Media, who rate limit their product to 1140mbit or so, only expose a gigabit port for it (unless you have the very very new hub 5).

Given that some customers will have [censored] old pcs that won't cope with 940mbps, you they won't be able to sell it as a "1000mbps" product.

This is also why ISPs these days sell 76mbit FTTC not 80mbit.

Edited by nemeth782 (Wed 03-Nov-21 00:00:54)

Post deleted by adslmax

Edited by adslmax (Wed 03-Nov-21 00:55:47)

The IP Profile is also involved too. That will reduced speed! My brother is on FTTP 1000/115 but he get 900 download. Never gigabit fibre.

The same with G.fast eg:

330/50 you only get 315/49
160/30 you only get 145/29

Edited by adslmax (Wed 03-Nov-21 00:58:13)

I think BT have been smart in their approach with 900 tier.

If it was a gig - you would have been getting people complain about 940meg (around the max gigabit Ethernet does).

Ive worked for many ISPs and a lot of people are very picky over speeds and what they should and do get.

Edited by BuckleZ (Wed 03-Nov-21 01:06:01)

In reply to a post by adslmax:

The IP Profile is also involved too. That will reduced speed! My brother is on FTTP 1000/115 but he get 900 download.

*Exactly* 900Mbps? Or 902Mbps? Or 940Mbps? Tested using what speedtest server? If it's on TBB then you can share the link.

However if they are being limited by an IP Profile on the BRAS, this will be by the ISP (e.g. BT) not by Openreach, since Openreach only provides a layer 2 service - i.e. it's not Openreach's BRAS. So they could switch to another ISP if they want the extra 42Mbps.

This is of course all nonsense. People don't notice the difference between 900M and 940M in day-to-day usage - only when they look at speedtest results.

For the moment service is limited to 900/1000mbits but satellite/cable/fixed wireless and of course fibre can all go beyond a gigabit in speed

Fibre alone is basically limitless (only limited by the electronics conversion from light ).

So in summary from the replies above, you cannot currently get gigabit broadband via FTTP

However even thinkbroadband are posting news stories such as:
''confirms investment of £1.2 billion (from 2021-22 to 2024-25) of the £5 billion Project Gigabit commitment to level up all parts of the UK with a target of 85% high-quality, gigabit capable broadband coverage by 2025''

Project gigabit does not currently exist with the products available to consumers. It is 'project 900mb or so'

I just thought it was ironic they are spending billions of £'s and they dont have the basics correct.

Edited by Ripley (Wed 03-Nov-21 11:34:53)