BT to offer 300Mbps Infinity fibre broadband and HomeHub 5 with Wi-Fi ac and multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports this year
UPDATE: BT’s pricing for the 300Mbps service has been revealed. At just £50 a month, with no traffic management or download cap, that’s not bad at all. 20Mbps upload speeds will also be included. Existing customers on FTTP packages will be able to upgrade to get 300Mbps broadband by subscribing to the £50 a month Unlimited package. Those in range of BT’s 50 FTTP exchanges will be able to make the jump to the superfast speeds.
BT yesterday revealed that they will be launching the new and improved HomeHub 5 router – during the same event they were promoting the soon-to-ship dual-band HomeHub 4 model!
The fifth generation of BT’s router will support the latest 802.11 ac Wi-Fi protocol, allowing for faster, more stable connections, as well as a full raft of Gigabit Ethernet ports for speedy wired connections around the home.
HomeHub 5 will also combine the router and the modem into a single unit – a first for BT’s kit – meaning one less plug socket will be needed to power the service.
Those differences aside, the design remains the same as that of the HomeHub 4, pictured above, with a single indicator light displaying network status.
The HomeHub 5, expected to become available later this year, is being designed by BT as “the perfect partner” to another brand new offering from the company – 300Mbps Infinity fibre broadband.
300mbps speeds from BT have been being tested for a little while now, though the news that BT will be making them commercially available before the year is out comes as a bit of a surprise. BT state that over 100,000 premises (which will require a direct fibre-to-the-premises connection) will be able to take advantage of the service. However, there’s yet to be any exact roll-out date given, nor any indication of what price to expect to pay. It’s likely to be the reserve of small businesses, given the premium fibre connections already command.
As for the router, it’ll be available to all new Infinity customers at launch, as well as being available to those signing up for a new contract with BT. BT also promise to make it available on the high street, and state that prices will be competitive compared to similarly capable kit.
