Part Fibre - Ultrafast 1 speeds

[dial+tone]

Hi All

I'm currently on a rolling contract with now / sky broadband as I am looking for deals. Every comparison site and supplier website I have been on shows my fastest speed is 67mb/s. I have spoken to someone at NOW, and they sent me the message below

 Hi It's Sky! You are able to pick our BB option with the following Specs: Package name Ultrafast 1, Technology SOGFAST, Download speed 148.2 - 149.2 Mb/s, Minimum Guaranteed download 100 Mb/s NoReply 

If my flat is capped at 67 mb/s is it possible to get these speeds? I have been on Sky Chat, and they have confirmed I am guaranteed to get these speeds, but I don't see how. I'm not a technical person; more of a plug-and-play and hope it all works out, but if there is anyone who has been in the same position or can confirm it is possible before I pull the trigger.

Also, will I need any equipment like faster cables ect for this to work, my pc has a 2.5 GB port, so assuming that is not an issue

Am I missing something? They can supply that speed, but my flat is capped at 67, so I won't be able to get these speeds. I'm just a little sceptical at this moment as to why sky the only one who can offer this.

Thanks

Mark 

[TimmyBGood]

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@dial+tone wrote:

 Package name Ultrafast 1, Technology SOGFAST, Download speed 148.2 - 149.2 Mb/s, Minimum Guaranteed download 100 Mb/s NoReply 

Am  I missing something? They can supply that speed, but my flat is capped at 67, so I won't be able to get these speeds. I'm just a little sceptical at this moment as to why sky the only one who can offer this.

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SOGFAST is a real outlier technology: it's the 'Single Order Generic' version of what used to be G.fast

G.fast was going to be the Ultrafast solution before FTTP was widely rolled out: it's essentially FTTC but served from fibre distribution points within 100 metres of the subscription address (which is where the higher speed comes from because losses are almost entirely over the copper portion of the circuit)

Sky is about the last ISP reselling G.fast, and is unlikely to be doing so much longer given Openreach is progressively replacing what's now a dead-end technology with full fibre: it was only ever within reach of under 10% of UK properties anyway and wider implementation ceased during the pandemic.

[dial+tone]

Hi

Thanks for the reply. To confirm, the speeds offered are possible, and I will get them.

Thanks

[TimmyBGood]

@dial+tone 

As long as the Openreach database record for the address is correct, yes.

G.fast can actually deliver up to 300Mbs (as long as the distribution pod is in the same street) but Sky never offered that 'Superfast 2' version.

[TimmyBGood]

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@dial+tone wrote:

Also, will I need any equipment like faster cables ect for this to work, 

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Typically the faceplate on your Openreach master socket would be replaced with a dedicated G.fast version during an installer visit.  Apart from that, all the cabling stays the same at the subscription address: the major changes are in the street connection.

 

[dial+tone]

Hi

Seems too good to be true. Can Only Sky offer this? And has offered it to me for £22  per month, and it has doubled my speed. I'm assuming I would not be able to get the  330mb option as the cabinet is too far away? Not sure how it works. What is the downside of G-FAST, as it seems too good- longer repairs, connection dropping?   

I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger for the best speeds possible and at a lower price than getting 76mbps at the moment.

Is there anything i should be aware off

Mark

[TimmyBGood]

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@dial+tone wrote:

Seems too good to be true. Can Only Sky offer this?

Multiple ISPs used to resell G.fast, but it's a dead-end platform these days which they don't see the need to be involved with, particularly as the potential customer base was never huge and is only going to decrease.

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

And has offered it to me for £22  per month, and it has doubled my speed. I'm assuming I would not be able to get the  330mb option as the cabinet is too far away?

As I said, Sky never offered the Ultrafast 2 version of G.fast: that was presumably a business choice rather than a technological limit.

Not sure how it works.

Fibre optic to the local street 'pod', then the existing phone pair into the subscription address.

What is the downside of G-FAST, as it seems too good- longer repairs, connection dropping?   

I'm seriously considering pulling the trigger for the best speeds possible and at a lower price

You might as well take up the offer until Openreach overbuild the local G.fast  infrastructure with FTTP. 

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

The major downside is it's still 21st century broadband arriving at the property over 19th century copper cabling which Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell would recognise...

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

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[TimmyBGood]

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@dial+tone wrote:

Is there anything i should be aware off

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Oh, there's a potential incompatibility between G.fast / SOGfast broadband and using Powerline networking adaptors at the subscription address.

[dial+tone]

Hi

I live in a flat, so no need for adaptors; I currently only have pc and TV connected to the router, but might add a console at a later date. I did do some investigating about Gfast and found the local cabinet does state 330mbps so I might ask if possible

[Chrisee]

@dial+tone Sky have never sold the 330Mb/s product.

[TimmyBGood]

@dial+tone 

For Sky Broadband it doesn't make any difference that your location could theoretically achieve 300+ Mbs because G.fast is sold to ISPs on the wholesale market in two speed bands ('up to' 150Mbs as 'Ultrafast 1' and 'up to' 330Mbs as 'Ultrafast 2') and Sky has never offered the latter to customers.

In the past you'd be able to go to a different ISP for 'Ultrafast 2' but I suspect you won't now find any who still list it.

[TimmyBGood]

@dial+tone 

The internet suggests Andrews & Arnold (AAISP) may still offer Ultrafast 2 on SOGfast: as a small specialist provider I'd imagine they'll charge rather more than Sky though.

As a clue to how diminished the G.fast market has become, this article indicates BT (which has supplies over 12 million households with broadband) has around 20,000 requiring G.fast to SOGfast migration.

[speedyrite2024]

@dial+tone

We have just upgraded from Sky G.Fast to Sky Full Fibre (following the recent long awaited upgrade by Openreach to bring FTTP to our street).

But when we first got the G.Fast upgrade nearly a couple of years ago , Openreach only had to replace the faceplate on our master socket in the house, the rest of the work done by Openreach was at the green street cabinet.

No changes to cabling into the house for G.Fast, it used the existing copper line into the house.

We got a rock steady 150Mbps download on Sky G.Fast and was quite happy with it.

Hope that info is of some help to you.

[dial+tone · Accepted solution]

Hi

Just got braodband installed and all looks good, thanks for the feedback and help