FTTC-enabled BT Infinity downstream speeds doubled

BT Retail, the consumer services branch of BT, has unveiled the second generation of its Infinity broadband service package. Using the carrier’s fiber-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) network, BT Infinity 2 will offer a top speed of 76 Mbps, twice the 38 Mbps of the first Infinity offering. Subscribers also will have access to upstream speeds of 19 Mbps, which BT asserts is the fastest available in the UK.

Infinity 1 also has received a facelift, with upstream speeds increasing from up to 1.9 Mbps to up to 9.5 Mbps. The top downstream speed will remain at 38 Mbps.

The speed increase is aimed directly at Virgin Media. BT Retail pointed out that Infinity 1 “will compare very well with the 30-Mbps service offered by Virgin Media given the upstream speeds will be considerably faster than those offered by the latter,” in the words of BT’s press release.

John Petter, managing director, BT Consumer, underscored this point. “Super-fast broadband is helping people enjoy the Internet far more than ever before. However, many providers have forgotten about the importance of fast upload speeds,” he said. “BT believes that fast upstream speeds are vital given how people now use the Internet and so we are distancing ourselves from the competition by providing the UK’s fastest upload speed.”

BT Infinity is currently available to more than 7 million premises across the UK, increasing to 10 million this year. BT expects to cover approximately two-thirds of all UK premises by the end of 2014.