The speeds for broadband connectivity in the UK are going to increase, with both Virgin and BT rolling out two different versions of high speed networks to their existing customer bases.
Virgin, which uses the same approach as USA cable operators like Comcast, is going to kick speeds up from 20 megs to 50, while BT is going to initially offer 40 megs on a fiber (FTTP) platform that could offer 100 megs symmetrically.
The difference is in the upload. The fiber platform offer the same experience for uploads and downloads, where cable modem is faster on the download. The cable technology is based on the Cable Labs standard of Docsis 3.0.
Verizon claims that 100 megs is also likely, but in a bit of back-peddling, seemed to say that we won’t be seeing it any time soon. I’d say politics inside Verizon is at play. The technology is there. The only question is around the willingness to deploy it and when.
Stories are circulating that Rogers (Canada) will be upgrading to DOCSIS 3.0 at some point in 2009. Towards this end I recently found them doing a fiber upgrade to our neighborhood cable head.