BT, Alca-Lu launch Geordie G.fast trial

UK incumbent BT and Alcatel-Lucent have commenced an ‘extensive’ consumer trial of G.fast broadband access technology in Gosforth, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, providing connection speeds of ‘up to 330Mbps’ over copper infrastructure directly into premises. The BT trial covers up to 2,000 homes and will last for six to nine months, a press release says. It follows a successful small pilot conducted by BT and Alcatel-Lucent in Hethersett, Norfolk, earlier this year, whilst BT’s Openreach division began connecting trial G.fast users in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, in late August (also expecting up to around 2,000 connected homes in that area’s trial) in partnership with vendors including ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent and Huawei. In the latest release, Alcatel-Lucent notes that more than 30 operators worldwide have begun G.fast trials using the French-US vendor’s equipment.