French telco Bouygues Telecom has announced that it will increase the maximum download speeds available over its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network to 1Gbps from 17 November. The operator revealed that all eligible subscribers to its Bbox Sensation (EUR25.99 [USD32.7] per month) will be able to upgrade to the new download speeds at no extra cost, while users not eligible for the 1Gbps FTTH connection can sign up to an alternative service – Fibre Bbox Sensation (via fibre-to-the-node [FTTN] technology) – which supports maximum downlink speeds of 200Mbps. The operator will also start offering a ‘Bbox Sensation VDSL’ product from 17 November, following telecoms watchdog Arcep’s July 2014 decision to permit the indirect distribution of VDSL2 lines, which will allow one in four households to benefit from improved transmission rates; eligible Bbox Sensation subscribers can upgrade to the service free of charge. Bbox users, meanwhile, will be granted access to the superior speeds from 18 January 2015.
