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NGA explained
BT

So what is NGA? NGA stands for "next-generation-access". Broadly speaking, its the next generation of internet access; superfast broadband delivered via optic fibres rather than the traditional copper wire network.

How much faster is it? According to Ofcom, average actual broadband download speeds in the UK were around 4.1Mbps in April 2009. According to a Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology report in 2008, a typical NGA speed might be 30Mbps or more – maybe ten times faster. Headline download speeds are likely to be between 40Mbps and 100Mbps, depending on your connection. In South Korea, headline speeds of up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) are being offered.

What else can it do? It may depend on the deal you choose, but NGA will offer the potential for better upload speeds – often overlooked in the search for the best headline download speed. That should improve your ability to collaborate and to take advantage of videoconferencing – in short, to send high-bandwidth information via the internet.

Do I need it? It depends. If you want to take full advantage of high-definition videoconferencing, videostreaming and audio-conferencing, if you want to share and collaborate using rich content, and if you want to “future-proof” your business for the next generation of internet users, then the answer could be yes.

What types of NGA are there? The highest-bandwidth NGA service is “fibre to the premises” (FTTP), which means that fibre-optic cable runs all the way to your premises, with no copper cable anywhere in the link. For residential users, this is known as “fibre to the home” (FTTH). BT is trialling a 100 Mbps service in Ebbsfleet, Kent; it also plans a trial in Higham Park, London.

In South Korea, significant numbers of people receive a slightly less fast service known as “fibre to the building” (FTTB) – where the fibre comes all the way to the building of a multi-occupancy block, after which a copper connection takes over.

There is also a system known as “fibre to the cabinet” (FTTC) – which means the optic fibre runs to the “cabinet” at the side of your street, but the network continues along the existing copper wire into the building.

In its Digital Britain report, the government suggests that FTTC may be one of the most economical options to help deliver on its Universal Service Commitment on internet access.

It says that if that proves to be the case, “up to 1.5 million households, many of whom currently have little or no broadband availability, might be able to access next-generation super-fast broadband”.

Where is FTTP available? It depends where you live. As far as fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) internet is concerned, BT is trialling a system offering up to 100Mbps internet access in Ebbsfleet, Kent, and in Highams Park, London. There are also commercial and community FTTP projects in many parts of the UK, including the rollout by H2O Networks in Bournemouth and Dundee.

What about FTTC? BT has announced plans to roll out FTTC to 40% of homes and businesses in the UK, and is trialling FTTC in Muswell Hill in north London, and Whitchurch in Wales. That will offer headline speeds of up to 40Mbps; there is the prospect of that rising to up to 60Mbps, BT says, though actual speeds will vary depending on how far you are from the cabinet. BT says the service will also offer upload speeds of up to 10Mbps.






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