BT Infinity broadband doubling download speeds at no extra cost

UK broadband service BT Infinity is increasing its speeds for customers starting tomorrow. Infinity 2 subscribers will see their download speeds almost double, reaching 76Mbps rather than the current 38Mbps. Uploads should reach speeds of 19Mbps. The slower Infinity 1 service will also see much higher upload speeds, which will go from a maximum of 1.9Mbps to 9.5Mbps. BT is already a solid provider in the UK, and these speed increases — especially without adding another tier — are fairly incredible.

Infinity is based on BT’s Fiber to the Cabinet (FTTC) network, which runs data over optical fiber up to a cabinet on the subscriber’s street, then switches to copper for the last few hundred meters. This speed upgrade was promised back in February, and will automatically take effect for new BT customers or anyone who switches to Infinity from another package. Current subscribers can upgrade by starting a new contract. Next year, even these faster speeds may be dwarfed by BT’s Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) setup, which will run fiber optic cables directly to subscribers’ homes or businesses and promises downloads of up to 300Mbps.