Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Bowdon]

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2018/12/openreach-start-sogea-pilot-and-reveal-standalone-broadband-prices.html

Openreach (BT) has today confirmed that their new Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SOGEA) product, which enables consumers to buy a standalone FTTC “fibre broadband” (VDSL2 or G.fast) line without the voice (phone) service, will enter the UK ISP pilot phase on 9th January. The first prices have also been published.

At present most consumers on Openreach’s national network must buy their phone service alongside line rental (included by default) and then broadband is optionally added on top, although many ISPs bundle the two together by default. An exception exists for “full fibre” (FTTP) ultrafast broadband lines (i.e. no copper involved), which can optionally be purchased in a data-only (no phone) variant.

However most people only keep a fixed line phone (voice calls) service because it’s necessary for their broadband to work and increasingly few bother to use this for making calls, with Mobile handsets and VoIP often proving to be more cost effective. On top of that the nationwide roll-out of “full fibre” networks will eventually make the old phone services irrelevant (old analogue phone services will be withdrawn in 2025).

In response Openreach has spent the past few years developing an alternative product, which carries the distinctly un-sexy name of Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SOGEA). In simple terms this will allow you to buy a broadband connection without any phone (voice) service attached (the latter essentially becomes optional via IP / VoIP, with broadband now being the default).

The service also introduces a new front plate for the latest NTE5C Master Socket, which where necessary has been designed to prevent analogue voice being reinjected onto Openreach’s network from the end users premises. All of this will help to support a future direction where voice calling is largely handled by VoIP.

This is a radical shift for both the network operator and ISPs (reversal of the old approach), which has required a lot of internal changes to be made and as a result the early trials have gone on longer than expected.

Lots of info at the story link.