'Fastest ever' broadband passes speed test

[Simon]

The "fastest ever" broadband speeds have been achieved in a test in London, raising hopes of more efficient data transfer via existing infrastructure.

Alcatel-Lucent and BT said speeds of 1.4 terabits per second were achieved during their joint test - enough to send 44 uncompressed HD films a second.

The test was conducted on a 410km (255-mile) link between the BT Tower in central London and Ipswich.

However, it may be many years before consumers notice any effect.

But the breakthrough is being seen as highly important for internet service providers (ISPs), as it means a greater amount of information can be sent through existing broadband infrastructure, reducing the need for costly upgrades.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25840502

[Glenn]

Have you signed up?

[Simon]

I bet the 'unlimited' downloads ISPs are starting to twitch a bit. 

[Gary]

I bet the 'unlimited' downloads ISPs are starting to twitch a bit. 

A test is one thing but that speed will only ever be used for business really I suppose. Infinity 4 which gives 330/30 is a three year contract.  Saying that the 'unlimited ISP's' seem to be doing fine, my friends on the 80/20 BT infinity 2 seem to get great download speeds and its been unlimited for a fair while now. I can see small niche ISP's folding in a few years with intermediate sized ones like Zen doing well as people move on as their download needs increase.

[Technical Ben]

I bet the 'unlimited' downloads ISPs are starting to twitch a bit. 

Might be worth me getting some CAT cable for my mobile then. Can't find a decent deal on bandwidth there.