The UK’s broadband is slowly getting faster with more homes getting connected to quicker full-fibre downloads every single day. However, there’s still a long way to go with the majority of UK consumers and businesses not expected to be connected to the very latest Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology until 2026.
That feels like a long way off but BT has an ingenious idea that will help make things faster until that improved service is rolled out.
The firm’s new Hybrid Speed Boost product is the first in the UK to combine a standard copper broadband line with a mobile network. BT has made this possible thanks to its ownership of EE with the telecoms firm able to use this vast 4G network technology to improve downloads.
It’s a quick fix but it will help increase speeds but around 20Mbps which is a significant boost for those who are suffering from dismal downloads.
It all sounds like a really good concept but, right now, millions are set to miss out on the option to have this technology installed in their homes.
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That’s because BT is only offering Hybrid Speed Boost to UK small businesses and not residential customers.
Express.co.uk has approached BT to ask why this technology isn’t available for consumers with the company stating that it’s currently just for businesses and nobody else. Whether that will change remains to been seen but hopefully BT will roll it out to more users as it seems like the perfect solution to a very big problem.
Speaking about the new product, Chris Sims, BT’s MD for its SoHo unit, said: “Using cutting-edge technology, we’re launching the first product in the UK to fuse fixed and mobile connections together to bring faster speeds to small firms which might be struggling on slower copper lines.
“While the Openreach full fibre network is expanding at pace, week on week, we understand the frustration of small firms who risk being stuck behind as they wait to hear when ultrafast full fibre broadband will come to them. Fast, reliable broadband is vital for the smooth, day to day running of a business, so we’ve taken action today to boost speeds for business taking copper broadband – at no extra cost.”
Interestingly, BT does have its Halo 3+ system for consumers which features EE technology tucked inside. However, that 4G network only kicks in if the fixed-line broadband goes down. That means it doesn’t boost speeds during general everyday use. We’ll have to wait and see if the company rolls out an update for homes in the future but the hybrid system looks like an ingenious idea that could really help people suffering from dire downloads. Watch this space!