Zen launches FTTP services with speeds of ‘up to’ 100Mbps

The constant desire for faster broadband speeds have pushed a lot of operators to upgrade their networks to fibre technology. Time wasted translates to potential losses in revenue. That said, many people are willing to shell out more money for access to high-speed broadband connections. This is according to provider Virgin Media, with their finance director Eamonn O’Hare, stating: “Superfast broadband is becoming a universal need. That’s happening very fast, and people are prepared to pay for it.”

Virgin Media has been deploying fibre since May of this year, announcing the completion of the first phase just recently. As a result, the provider is now able to provide 100Mb broadband to one third of the UK, with covered areas including Harborne in Birmingham, Lincoln, Seven Kings in Greater London, and Solihull.

BT Broadband, never one to be left out in the cold, is also hard at work laying down fibre. BT originally announced that their Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband service would be completed by 2015. Upon completion, the service will be able to deliver 300Mbps speed connections. However, the firm was able to speed up deployment and has announced that the project will be completed by 2014, a full year ahead of schedule.

Hot on the heels of BT is Zen Internet. Zen has recently just launched their own FTTP service in the UK, although to selected areas that include the Bradwell Abbey, Highams Park, Chester South and York exchanges.

Zen is offering a variety of FTTP packages as well, starting with Fibre Active. The basic plan costs £30 per month and will provide “up to” 40Mbps download speeds, with upload speeds of “up to” 2Mbps and a monthly download limits of 50GB. The next plan, Fibre Pro, will allow users to have upload speeds of “up to” 10Mbps while raising the download limit to 100GB at £38 every month. Lastly, the Fibre Office package will push the monthly download limit further to 200GB at £55 a month.

For those who require faster download speeds, Zen also offers to other plans: Fibre Enterprise and Fibre Enterprise Plus. The former has a monthly fee of £70 and will provide users with download speeds of “up to” 100Mbps with upload speeds of “up to” 15 Mbps and a download limit of 500GB. The Plus plan will cost £95 a month with the same download limit but with upload speeds of “up to” 30Mbps.

Zen’s head of product management, Andrew Saunders, said: “We think fibre’s the future. We’re not sure if it’s going to be in three years’ time or five years’ time when the tipping point will come, but it’s the future.”

Source – PC Advisor