What is FTTC?
Will I be able to get the new superfast broadband in Benderloch?
How fast will this be?
How much will it cost?
When is it available?
How do I tell if my telephone line is connected to a new FTTC cabinet?
What if I'm not connected to a new FTTC cabinet?
What if I'm over 1 mile away from a new FTTC cabinet?
answers below:
What is FTTC?
Fibre-to-the-cabinet. This is the 'superfast fibre broadband' you see advertised on the side of BT Openreach vans. https://recombu.com/digital/article/fibre-broadband-what-is-fttc-aka-fibre-to-the-cabinet_M10851.html. It offers speed increases for people that live close (under 1 mile) to a new FTTC streetside cabinet.
Will I be able to get the new superfast broadband in Benderloch?
Your telephone line must terminate at one of the new streetside cabinets being installed around the area. Click here for DigitalScotland checker, enter your telephone number to see where your phone line is connected. Your telephone line from your house to the cabinet needs to be under 1 mile in length to see any significant speed increase.
If your line is "Exchange Only" then you won't be able to get fibre broadband.
How fast will Fibre-to-the-cabinet FTTC superfast broadband be?
FTTC maximum speed is currently 76Mbit/s download and 20Mbit/s upload, but you are limited by the distance between you and the cabinet, and the package you buy. See here for distance vs speed.Compared to the existing maximum of 8Mbit/s download 0.4Mbit/s upload, this is a significant increase, especially on upload speed (e.g. uploading videos to YouTube)
How much will it cost?
Depends who you chose as your Internet Service Provider.Example for an entry level package of 17Mb/s download, 10GB usage is £10/month if taken with line rental of £15.99 per month
Example for top-of-the range 80Mb/s unlimited package is £26/month + £15.99 line rental.
You are not restricted to having BT as your Internet Service Provider.
When is it available?
The cabinet "1" in the village opposite the church is now live as at January 2016, serving properties in the village. Check availability using http://www.digitalscotland.org/whereandwhen. Other cabinets are being planned for the area, with estimate delivery dates from January to July 2017
How do I tell if my telephone line is connected to a new FTTC cabinet?
Enter your phone number on http://www.digitalscotland.org/whereandwhen
What if I'm not connected to a new FTTC cabinet?
You could explore other options for faster broadband, such as
* a 4G router https://www.broadbandbuyer.com/store/4g-routers/. EE, Vodafone and O2 have masts in Oban and Connel that provide some 4G coverage already. New mast upgrades are planned in 2017 for both networks (masts at Lochnell Castle and Barcaldine Castle). A modest subscription with a speed of around 30MBit/s is around £20/month. EE offer 'double speed' 4G that theoretically gives a faster speed than FTTC!
* Gigaplus Argyll www.gigaplusargyll.co.uk have sites planned for Lismore, Craignure (Torosay mast) and Glensanda which may provide coverage for some areas.
* set up your own community project - http://www.hie.co.uk/community-support/community-broadband-scotland/
What if I'm over 1 mile away from a new FTTC cabinet?
The speed advantages of FTTC fall rapidly with distance from the cabinet, (see this link for more detail) so you will not see a significant speed increase over any existing ADSL broadband connection. Theoretically the underlying technology (VDSL2) still has stability and reliability benefits for people on the end of long lines compared with ADSL.
BT is trialling "long reach VDSL" technology, but it is not known if this is planned for Benderloch. Read more here:
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