Plusnet has via its community blog issued on an update on the ongoing fibre trials. The FTTC service has been available for some time, with the full fibre (Fibre to the Premises - FTTH/P) available on a trial basis. More triallists are sought and the update sets out what the package options will be. The fastest option is the Plusnet Extra Fibre 100 Mbps service that will cost £34.49 a month.
The 100 Mbps service has limited availability due to Openreach being behind schedule on adding new areas, but if you live in the lucky parts of Bradwell Abbey, Highams Park, Chester South, York, Ashford (Middlesex), Ilford Central, St Austell, Forest Hill, Leytonstone or Exeter you may be able to get the product. The best checker to look for presence of the fibre variants is the BT Wholesale checker.
Plusnet Extra Fibre 100 Mbps - £34.49 per month
100 Mbps download, 15 Mbps upload, only FTTP
18 month contract, no change for existing customers
120GB usage allowance, midnight to 8am is unmetered.
Supplied with free 4 port wireless router (ZyXEL NBG4604)
Free activation, includes engineer visit
Plusnet Extra Fibre 40 Mbps - £21.49 per month
40 Mbps download, 2 Mbps upload, available to both FTTP and FTTC customers
18 month contract, no change for existing customers
120GB usage allowance, midnight to 8am is unmetered.
Supplied with free 4 port wireless router (Netgear WNR1000)
£2 option, boosts upload to 10Mbps
Free activation, includes engineer visit
Plusnet Value Fibre 40 Mbps - £16.49 per month
40 Mbps download, 2 Mbps upload, available to both FTTP and FTTC customers
18 month contract, no change for existing customers
40GB usage allowance, midnight to 8am is unmetered.
Supplied with free 4 port wireless router (Netgear WNR1000)
£2 option, boosts upload to 10Mbps
Free activation, includes engineer visit
For those where FTTC is the available product do bear in mind that the connection speed will vary according to the line distance between your property and the street cabinet. The checkers should give an estimate of the possible speed, and for the majority of people this is a conservative estimate, unlike the ADSL and ADSL2+ estimates that tended to over estimate potential speeds.
For those current Plusnet FTTP trial customers reading this, they don't have to take one of the three products above, they can stay on their existing trial price point for as long as they wish. The package options apply to new people onto the trial.
Much of the work to offer up to 80 Mbps speeds to FTTC customers is done, and Plusnet is planning an open 80 Mbps download, 20 Mbps upload trial in early February 2012. A small trial has ran over the last couple of weeks, with promising results speed wise. The FTTP customers also have a 330 Mbps trial to look forward to later in 2012.
Update 25th January 2012: Plusnet has been in touch to ask us to emphasis that the packages apply only to the trials which are expanding, and do not represent a launch package. Details of launch date and pricing will be announced in the future. As comments to the original item pointed out some view the 120GB allowance as too small, and that is what trials will help providers to understand, the usage patterns and aspirations for people on the faster products.
