Vodafone says it will begin to accept orders for its Gigafast Broadband service in Milton Keynes on September 14. The introductory price of the Gigafast Broadband service – which Vodafone markets as having a top speed of 900 Mbps – includes a free router, no installation fee, unlimited data usage, home phone service, free content controls, and F-Secure SAFE anti-virus software free for six months. Installation are set to begin on October 8, 2018. Vodafone will deliver the service on a fiber to the home (FTTH) network.
The onset of service follows successful trial roll outs in Milton Keys this past July (see “Vodafone begins gigabit FTTH trial connections”). Vodafone has partnered with CityFibre for FTTH infrastructure (see “Vodafone chooses CityFibre FTTP network for UK broadband delivery”). The service provider says more than 3700 homes in Milton Keynes can be served in this initial phase, with “almost every” home connected by 2020. Vodafone expects to offer the service in Aberdeen and Peterborough later this year, with Coventry, Edinburgh, Huddersfield, and Stirling joining the market roster in early 2019.
The new service portfolio includes options for 100, 200, 500, and 900 Mbps, with monthly subscription fees starting at £28 per month and topping out at £48 for those without Vodafone mobile service. (Vodafone mobile subscribers get a £5 discount on all packages.) The initial contract period runs 18 months.
“Starting in Milton Keynes, we are helping people break free from the shackles of their old, copper-based broadband,” asserted Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery. “With Gigafast Broadband, Vodafone is investing in best-in-class infrastructure for the UK, equipping the nation for the future.”
The service leverages a new broadband router that Vodafone says leverages 802.11ac technology for improved WiFi performance in conjunction with such technologies as a seven-antenna arrangement and beamforming. The router offers four Gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB ports and will work as a hub for the customer’s home phone.
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