topic Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered? in Broadband

Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

JoeEmp — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:03:12 GMT

I've had a GFast contract with Sky since March this year. We usually achieve the minimum 100mb/s down consistently and haven't had any issues,

However, GFast has a theoretical max speed of 300mb/s down and other providers like Talk talk offer a 200mb/s down minimum service.

My question is twofold, firstly, should we be expecting higher than the 100mb/s down and close to the advertised average of 145mb/s down? Secondly could Sky be artificially reducing our connection speed since it's been so consistent, with the proof of this being a seemingly arbitrary offer of the slower GFast speeds, nowhere close to what the technology is capable of.

I'm not sure where to go with this, or if I even have a case, so just reaching out to see if anyone else has faced anything similar?

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

cookiemonsteruk — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:05:53 GMT

@JoeEmp

G,fast itself has a max speed of 300 but sky only resell 150Mbps with a guarantee of 100Mbps

Could you post your stats

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Broadband/How-to-find-your-Sky-Broadband-router-stats/m-p/2855717#M101474

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

TimmyBGood — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:44:47 GMT

@JoeEmp

Sky has only ever offered Ultrafast 1 ('up to' 150Mbs with a 100Mbs minimum) over G.fast: they never resold the 300Mbs wholesale band which was historically available through some other ISPs. Neither version is now listed for new customers of the vast majority of service providers: Sky is one of very few left.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2023/10/the-misery-of-diminishing-choice-in-g-fast-uk-broadband-areas.html

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

TimmyBGood — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:38:52 GMT

@JoeEmp

Also worth noting that G.fast is now very much an end of life technology and will end up being replaced by FTTP overbuild: Openreach suspended (and later ceased) the creation of new G.fast areas back in 2019.

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2019/09/openreach-put-the-brakes-on-future-uk-g-fast-broadband-plans.html

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2024/06/openreach-update-on-closure-of-g-fast-cabinets-in-uk-fttp-areas.html

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

peter-marlow+1966 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:50:57 GMT

When you say Gfast I am confused because I have gigafast broadband with sky fttp, full fibre to the property, had it since January this year and it's 900mps to the router not sure what Gfast is

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

Highlinder — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:55:14 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966 A simple Google search finds the information on what g.fast is

https://www.bttcomms.com/g-fast-is-on-a-roll/

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

cookiemonsteruk — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 16:55:44 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

G.fast uses the same copper to the home but run from a pod near the fttc cabinet at a much higher frequency to acheive higher speeds

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

peter-marlow+1966 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:04:07 GMT

I have looked on sky's broadband packages and they don't have one called Gfast on their packages

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

peter-marlow+1966 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:05:06 GMT

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

TimmyBGood — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:06:06 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

G.fast is/was essentially a version of FTTC where fibre extended to 'pods' at individual street level rather than only as far as a cabinet. This means it can be faster than FTTC because copper line length is much shorter, but still has that as a fundamental limit.

It's entirely different to 'Gigafast'

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

Highlinder — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:06:54 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966 if it has not been deployed into your area then you are unlikely to see it.

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

peter-marlow+1966 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:07:27 GMT

@JoeEmp wrote:
I've had a GFast contract with Sky since March this year. We usually achieve the minimum 100mb/s down consistently and haven't had any issues,

However, GFast has a theoretical max speed of 300mb/s down and other providers like Talk talk offer a 200mb/s down minimum service.

My question is twofold, firstly, should we be expecting higher than the 100mb/s down and close to the advertised average of 145mb/s down? Secondly could Sky be artificially reducing our connection speed since it's been so consistent, with the proof of this being a seemingly arbitrary offer of the slower GFast speeds, nowhere close to what the technology is capable of.

I'm not sure where to go with this, or if I even have a case, so just reaching out to see if anyone else has faced anything similar?

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

TimmyBGood — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:09:42 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

G.fast street-level infrastructure was only ever rolled out to be in reach of less than three million properties (well under 10% of the UK) : as I noted above that project was ceased by Openreach in 2019 because FTTP is easily capable of gigabit speeds which copper can never get near.

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

cookiemonsteruk — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:09:31 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

Believe us it exists

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

peter-marlow+1966 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:09:44 GMT

They were advertising fttp gigafast on the sky home page last year but I could not get it installed until January this year

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

TimmyBGood — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:14:00 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

G.fast was also fundamentally hampered by the need for local pods to be powered, and that the maximum distance over which the minimum 100Mbs could be delivered was extremely limited.

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

cookiemonsteruk — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:15:32 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

This is my own address. Note g.fast under vdsl however its no longer sold. However the area was soon upgraded to fttp

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

peter-marlow+1966 — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:15:44 GMT

Ok I see but what will happen to your broadband using the copper phone line when it's changed to fibre optic cable as is happening

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

cookiemonsteruk — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:19:04 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

As someone who is still on fttc vdsl i'll remain until the line packs in and then upgrade to the wbc fttp at the same speed

Re: Are GFast speeds artificially lowered?

TimmyBGood — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:51:17 GMT

@peter-marlow+1966

FTTP can replace G.fast when the national rollout reaches an area previously served G.fast pods. At the moment it's the choice of the user to make the move (although all new provision would be optical), but eventually Openreach and BT Wholesale will want to cease G.fast support entirely.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.fast