News
- Community Fibre has installed an 8.5Gbps line in London
- It's the fastest broadband connection in the UK
- You get 8,200Mbps for both downloads and uploads, but it's pricey at £300 per month
A London homeowner has become the first person in the UK to have an 8.5Gbps residential broadband connection courtesy of Community Fibre.
Community Fibre previously offered a 5Gbps full fibre connection, but has upped the ante with a 70% speed boost on that with the new 8.5Gbps plan, which is getting very close to a full 10Gbps.
The 8.5Gbps line – which offers a speed of 8,200Mbps for both downloading and uploading – was installed yesterday (September 16) in a house in Beckton, Newham, just east of Charing Cross.
Peter Rampling, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at Community Fibre, observed that this "demonstrates what's possible when world-class infrastructure is paired with relentless innovation and long-term investment".
Community Fibre has its own full fibre network that's within reach of some 1.4 million homes in and around London, currently with over 450,000 customers.
Full fibre is distinct from fibre-to-the-cabinet (or FTTC) in that the cable goes directly into the home. With FTTC, the fibre goes to a (roadside) cabinet and the last stretch of the connection to the house remains copper (telephone) wire (constraining speeds to a theoretical maximum of 80Mbps – I get just over 60Mbps on average).
Ultrafast, faster and fastest(Image credit: Community Fibre)As well as the new 8.5Gbps full fibre plan, Community Fibre sells a 5Gbps line, as mentioned, and a 2.5Gbps product (among other lesser offerings).
How much will an 8.5Gbps broadband connection set you back? £300 per month on a 24-month contract, which is a huge jump on the cost of the 5Gbps line that's £56.70 per month.
You can expect to pay a considerable premium to be on the cutting edge of broadband (or any tech), but this really is a hike and a half, and it's difficult to see why you'd pay so much more compared to the 5Gbps plan. The vast majority of consumers will find the latter caters for all their online needs with ease, anyway – let's face it. This is more about bragging rights than anything else for now.
For 2.5Gbps broadband, you'll fork out £38.70 per month, which seems very reasonable. In fact, I paid a touch more than that for my FTTC connection at one point, briefly, until that latest price hike spurred me to change provider – it's always worth keeping an eye on pricing when your contract runs out.
8.5Gbps broadband is in London now – in serviced areas – if you want it, though, providing your wallet can cope with the monthly outlay.
- The Australian government might ban smart glasses at all of its agencies
- Devices like Meta’s glasses have garnered controversy over user privacy
- The move would follow Australia’s banning of social media for under-16s
The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have been in hot water ever since they launched amid concerns they could be used to record people without their consent. And the privacy backlash has grown so vocal that the Australian government is now considering a “world-leading” ban on the devices inside any workplace run by the state.
The ban would affect any government-run offices, services centers, laboratories and local councils. It goes a lot further than the state’s current position, which is to allow workplaces to set their own rules on the controversial wearable tech. While the ban would affect most municipal locations, schools and hospitals run by the government would be allowed to decide their own rules on the glasses.
Katy Gallagher, the Australian public service minister, said that the nation’s public has been asked for feedback on the next move, adding that “Smart glasses can raise legitimate privacy and security concerns, particularly because of their ability to record and capture information.”
“We need clear and consistent guidance for public servants,” Gallagher said. So far, no national government has banned smart glasses across its agencies, with the Australian Albanese administration saying it sought to create a “world-leading” standard.
A privacy storm(Image credit: Future)Meta’s smart glasses have attracted growing criticism for their potential to encourage harassing behavior and to record members of the public without their consent. They’ve been popularly branded “pervert glasses” in light of the controversy, while a University of Sydney study found that of 350 public Instagram videos shot with the glasses, around 60% could be classified as potentially containing harassment of a person or people.
The negative blowback has not been aided by Meta’s abysmal record on user privacy. The company has been accused of harvesting triple the data of its rivals, ignoring users’ desires not to be tracked, feeding untold reams of private data into its artificial intelligence (AI) models, and more. The company’s apps, including Facebook and Instagram, have been labeled among the worst offenders for privacy violations — news that will likely surprise few people.
If the Australian ban goes into place, it would only be the most sweeping of a similar set of moves made around the world. Courts in England, Wales and New York state have banned smart glasses, as has the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Several cities and local councils in Australia have barred the glasses in playgrounds, childcare centers, gyms and public swimming pools.
And Australia also took the lead on restricting social media usage by children when it banned under-16s from using a range of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and more.
Considering the current hostile reaction to smart glasses, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other governments follow Australia’s cue and outlaw the devices at their state facilities and workplaces. Until Meta can allay public concerns over the privacy-busting potential of its glasses, this storm isn’t likely to pass any time soon.
As the weather cools, outdoor activities like running, biking, and hiking will resume, and a Garmin smartwatch can be the perfect companion. Garmin watches are packed with premium features, and with that comes an expensive price tag, but that's where Amazon is here to help.
• Shop more deals at Amazon
The retailer has a huge fall sale on Garmin's top-rated watches, with up to $250 off and prices starting at just $181. You can find a wide range of models on sale with features like GPS tracking, a large AMOLED display, fitness analytics, long battery life, and an ultra-durable design.
You'll find the 12 best Garmin watch deals at Amazon below, all of which have recieved impressive discounts and are on sale for a limited-time. Amazon's Garmin discounts let you score a helpful, insightful companion for your fall outdoor activities and save money at the same time.