What does the Future Hold for Speeds?

[#1]

Since joining PlusNet at the start of Broadband, I've seen speeds rise as the technologies changed and improved. We are obviously more at the start than we are at the end, and speeds will continue to improve, or at least, they should!
I am able to upload to online backup because I have an original 40/20 service which gives me 36/11 at the PC (It is connected at 45.2Mbps, but limited by PlusNet software). Connected at 11Mbps, UP is taking 6Mbps for the backup to upload, it's not rocket fast (initial uploads take days/weeks to complete, and yes, I could seed the initial backups by sending a disk), and if I could send UP at more or less the speed that I currently get down, it would obviously be much quicker.
Had I not been able to take advantage of the 40/20 package, and had my connection failed to reach 40Mbps Down, I could easily have been saddled with a 40/2 service. Just 2mbps isn't enough to support online backups is it.
Originally I had Fibre Extra 80/40 but this was reduced some months ago when speeds fell to about 35Mbps Down, and I was told that faster simply wasn't possible. Something has improved, and faster is now possible, but a few months ago could return at some stage, easily, couldn't it. Just one new or moved connection in the cabinet could lose that recovered speed, I understand.
Now, it seems that Plusnet will not allow anyone to Purchase a package which gives the fastest possible speed UP as well as DOWN. Is that fair to customers, and why is it the case?
Finally, with technology developments, when is the next likely boost in speed likely to be rolled out, and what sort of speeds are we looking at?
It seems to me that very much faster broadband universally opens up many more possibilities for us all, and so is an area deserving of constant investment. Maybe if tariff price had a connected speed element it would already be encouraging faster upgrading?

[#2]

I dont think we will see any speed boost for quite sometime yet not with FTTC, Openreach have still to roll out G.INP for ECI, then there is talk of Vectoring or Gfast which ever Openreach choose to do, Although Vectoring / Gfast can boost speeds past 80Mb i would be very surprised if  Openreach will use it to do so they will simply use it to give back what crosstalk has taken away from users already.
My guess would be if you want faster it will be via FTTP if and when that becomes readily available, or go cable via Virgin.

[#3]

Going by PN present offerings , PN customers will all be forced to take the 40/2 offer lowering their speed ,,,,,,, not increasing 

[#4]

Quote from: Terranova667

I dont think we will see any speed boost for quite sometime yet not with FTTC

Vectoring will come - there are 9,003 cabs that are ready for vectoring now with an estimated 17,345 total future vector ready cabs. All in BDUK areas (and Huawei) though I believe, and something like 25% of all cabinets.

[#5]

@AndyH i figured Vectoring would come but i was under the impression that Openreach was to only use it to return lost Sync due to cross talk and nothing more and not allowing speeds to go past 80Mb am i wrong about that are they planning to go past 80Mb with it ? 

[#6]

Thanks for your replies. Interesting. When FTTC initially installed on my line, I had 52Mbps Down, and I think 22Mbps UP These were figures that the installation engineer recorded, my cabinet (one of only 3 in the village and with long runs to and from) had 4 connections including mine, so i'm assuming this is the sort of expected speed that technology can deliver over that length of copper? Currently connected at 45.2 Down, 11 Up, restricted to 40 as lower package (reduced from Extra because it couldn't be achieved, suspected crosstalk).
The faster BB goes, the more becomes possible, and the more other technologies will make use of that speed, but only if coverage is fully universal. I still feel we're enjoying the dawn of BB, and haven't really started out. All devices will likely communicate one day, I think that you will be checked out before your car starts for instance, and I also think that predictive technology will begin to dominate lives, unnoticed. Of course those born in the future will not see anything has changed, and will have become part of it. Older types, living much longer, will grumble much as many do now without an internet connection in a connected and automated world.

[#7]

Couldn't you use a router that doesn't suffer from a bufferbloat problem and/or does some QoS, then your online backup would be able to use more than 6 out of 11 Mb of the upstream without reducing the performance of everything else.
My Internet usage hasn't changed much over the last 5-10 years, it's just that the overwhelming majority of it has become boring, pointless and/or a waste of time (or worse). You might be surprised at the number of people who could switch to something offering more bandwidth, but haven't yet, and don't really seem to care. The people who want more but can't get it where they are, tend to be more vocal about it, unsurprisingly.

[#8]

Quote from: ejs

You might be surprised at the number of people who could switch to something offering more bandwidth, but haven't yet, and don't really seem to care.

Yah. I think FTTC take-up where available is around 14% and of that a lot of people are going with the lower speed package. Similarly Virgin has to keep removing lower tier packages and bumping up people for free because otherwise they just trundle along on the old speeds.

[#9]

I've had fibre available for many months and haven't as yet taken it up, being happy enough on ADSL2+ and not yet ready to deal with the possible hassle.

[#10]

Quote from: Terranova667

@AndyH i figured Vectoring would come but i was under the impression that Openreach was to only use it to return lost Sync due to cross talk and nothing more and not allowing speeds to go past 80Mb am i wrong about that are they planning to go past 80Mb with it ?

I don't see any reason to go past 80Mb with vectoring on FTTC - there certainly doesn't seem to be any ISP demand for it. If Openreach are going to compete on speeds with the likes of VM, then this will be based on new technologies that have a longer life-span that VDSL2.
Vectoring will allow Openreach to meet various BDUK contractual targets, I think.

[#11]

I think the higher speeds are driven by services, which in turn are enabled by higher speeds.
So mentioned in the original post is backup, spideroak, dropbox etc, as mentioned that's driven by upload speed.
On the download side, there are many more streaming services.  Sure solme will baulk at the idea of "renting" music/films/TV, but there's plenty that won't. 
I currently get around 50-60 down, and if my young kid is watching Netflix, it markedly slows access I do.  Yes QOS could be used, but unless I wanted an unhappy kid, I'd be sending that to Netflix anyway.
And it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon,  even Sky now offer plenty of downloadable content. 
So all of this high quality streaming requires high bandwidth, but by the same token, wouldn't exist if we hadn't already had the faster speeds.

[#12]

Agreed. The sale of Ultra HD Smart TVs is already on the up. This will force the streaming services to provide more UHD content which in turn requires more bandwidth.

[#13]

With today's Government announcement of a "Universal Service Obligation" (10mbps minimum)  BTOR / ISPs might concentrate resources on that, rather than increasing speeds for those who already get it.
BTW does that mean they have dropped the definition of "high speed broadband" from 20mbps to 10mbps?

[#14]

Quote from: phil4

I currently get around 50-60 down, and if my young kid is watching Netflix, it markedly slows access I do.

What bitrate is he watching at and what are you doing that is impacted?
Even the NetFlix 4k stream is only 15Mb/s so that should leave you around 35Mb/s. Both of you could be streaming 4k feeds and there'd still be more than enough left for browsing and general use. Heck three people streaming 4k from Netflix ought to leave enough for general internet use on a 50Mb/s connection. Are you both using a wired connection?