Openreach extends standalone FTTC product trial

BT’s infrastructure arm Openreach has announced plans to extend its current trial for its Single Order Ethernet Access (SOGEA) product, which will allow users to take up a standalone FTTC broadband line without any phone services attached.

The firm has already extended the trial beyond its original scope but has said that ISPs will be free to test out the service until 1 October this year. Some providers needed longer than anticipated for testing and preparation, said Openreach.

Many had reported that a third trial period would come to an end by the close of May this year, though now it seems that the final pilot phase will not kick off until late 2018. As a result, a commercial launch of SOGEA seems unlikely to take place until 2019.

Once available, SOGEA means that both business and retail customers can take up a broadband service without having to pay their ISP for an - often useless - phone service alongside their line rental and FTTC broadband.

As so few people use their landlines to make traditional phone calls, preferring mobile or VOIP services instead, SOGEA will make it possible to buy a copper line for broadband alone.

Those who need voice services can still add it as an optional add-on, under the provisions of SOGEA, though the cost is unlikely to be high.

A statement from Openreach says: “The CP Trial provides a trial opportunity for CPs to test the latest deployment and technology capabilities and capture learnings and customer experiences of the Fulfilment and Assurance order journeys.”

It adds that rental and connection fees for any trial orders will be waived, remaining free until at least 30 December 2018.

The SOGEA service will also bring a new front plate for the latest model of Master Socket, which will prevent analogue voice data being send back into Openreach’s network, paving the way for a future when voice calling is handled by VOIP alone.