Qatar ISP Launches World’s First 50Gbps FTTP Home Broadband
Monday, Sep 18th, 2023 (8:06 am) - Score 648
Most of the daily talk on these pages is currently about UK broadband ISP packages that reach top speeds of around 1Gbps (Gigabit per second). But spare a thought for internet provider Ooredoo in Qatar, who are about to achieve somewhat of a world’s first by deploying a 50Gbps capable full fibre (FTTP) plan for homes.
Qatar first started to deploy a national Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network at scale all the way back in 2011 and today that network is fairly mature. According to the FTTH Council, some 22 countries have achieved full fibre penetration rates higher than 50%, with Qatar being near the top on 97.8% (up from 84% in the previous year).
Customers of local ISP Ooredoo currently have a choice of package speeds between 1Gbps and 10Gbps, which were recently joined by a new Fibre to Every Room (FTER) product that does almost exactly what the name says (optical fibre ports in every room of your property). But now the provider has decided to step ahead of the pack by adopting the very latest 50G-PON standard to support a new 50Gbps package for homes (they previously used 10G-PON).
Sheikh Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani, CEO of Ooredoo Qatar, said:
“We’re proud to be the first operator globally capable of deploying such powerful technology, which aligns perfectly with our overarching aim of upgrading our customers’ worlds. We have long had a strategic commitment to partnering with global leaders in technology and innovation, enabling us to leverage both our expertise and experience and our partners’ capabilities.
This latest launch is an excellent example of the benefits we, and our customers, enjoy as a result of such partnerships. We look forward to further enhancing our offering as technology develops ever further in the years to come.”
At present there are no details on how much the new package will cost, but considering that their current top 10Gbps “Home+ Elite” bundle (includes three TV boxes, premium TV channels, fibre to five rooms etc.) costs a whopping 6,500 QR per month (about £1,440) then we suspect it won’t be the cheapest of services.
The reality is that harnessing all of that speed is going to be virtually impossible for home users, but that never seems to bother ISPs when it comes to bragging rights over new levels of broadband performance