Quick Summary
EE will kick off a trial of its XGS-PON broadband technology later this month, with possible speeds of up to 8Gbps.
You can sign up to be part of the test if you live in the right location. It’ll be free for at least three months.
EE will start an internet trial later in March that could change the face of the UK broadband. It will debut its 8Gbps service, which is capable of downloading a 4K HDR movie in just 15 seconds.
Those kind of speeds could even result in a mammoth game release – such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – downloading in less than two minutes.
Of course, download speeds is only a small fraction of its benefits. With such a high amount of bandwidth, it could result in multiple household users all able to stream high quality video at the same time, for example.
The trial will be available in Guildford, Woking and “surrounding areas”, and eligible households can sign up for free to help with the test. You don’t even need to be an EE broadband subscriber right now, but your daily use of the ultrafast service will be tracked and you’ll need to give regular feedback.
However, as well as the use of 8-gig broadband and the equipment needed, for a minimum of three months during the trial period, you will also get a £100 Amazon voucher for taking part.
To register your interest, just head to the dedicated EE webpage and sign up.
How will EE achieve 8Gbps broadband speeds?
EE will be using new XGS-PON network technology to test the next-generation service. This is an advanced fibre optic standard that’s actually capable of speeds up to 10Gbps – with the acronym standing for 10 Gigabit Symmetrical Passive Optical Network.
It uses wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to enable simultaneous upstream and downstream transmissions over the same fibre network, using alternative light wavelengths for each transmission direction.
New hardware is needed to support the service, so successful applicants will have a different broadband line installed that will be dedicated to the XGS-PON platform. It will be removed again once the trial is finished.
It’s not yet known when the service could become a full consumer product, although EE claims it has the potential for a wider rollout at some point in the future.
