Cerberus Networks Launch “Affordable” FTTP and G.fast Broadband Packages

Business ISP Cerberus Networks appears to have become one of the first providers in the United Kingdom to launch a “commercial” package using Openreach’s (BT) new 330Mbps G.fast “ultrafast broadband” technology and they’ve also introduced some “affordable” FTTP services.

The Middlesex based provider appears to be ignoring the fact that G.fast technology is still in the pilot phase (final wholesale pricing has yet to be set), although an experienced ISP should still be able to build a viable model of the likely cost and adopt it. In that sense Cerberus may be able to score a PR win for itself by launching an unfinished product before anybody else, although G.fast coverage remains very limited (over 100,000 premises passed).

On top of that the ISP is hoping to carve out a bigger slice of the market for itself by launching a new range of Fibre-to-the-Premise (FTTP) packages, which is based off Openreach’s national network and appears to adopt a more “affordable” price point than some of their competitors. Take note that the coverage of FTTP is also very limited, although both G.fast and FTTP will reach millions more premises over the next few years.

Bob Hendy, Cerberus Networks’ Director of Sales, told ISPreview.co.uk:

“We are looking to break down the longstanding cost barriers that have held back the adoption of FTTP. By investing in our network and pricing services much more affordably, we expect to see much more take up of these next-generation technologies.

Right now, FTTP roll-out is fairly limited but where it is out there, it is the only alternative to ADSL. To date business customers just have not had an affordable option when it comes to FTTP. We want customers to be able to take full advantage of the technology and get access to the fantastic performance that these services provide, but at an affordable price.

…

G.Fast has been in planning by BT Openreach for a few years, so it’s great to see the trials reaching their final stages. While FTTP is a great technology, rolling out fibre to individual premises is an expensive business so we don’t expect to see Openreach focussing on that outside of of new build housing and office projects.

G.Fast will give customers a big hike in speeds over existing wiring. It’s just a matter of BT rolling out the upgraded service to the existing cabs and equipment around the country, so we expect much wider availability much sooner than FTTP.”

So what’s available and how much does it cost you ask? Firstly, all of their packages (FTTP + G.fast) appear to include a “guaranteed 12Mbps throughput“, unlimited usage, 1-8 IPs, NetSTATS monitoring and alerting and their prices exclude 20% VAT. Otherwise the details are as follows (NOTE: As there are quite a few FTTP options, we’ve only shown the cheapest and most expensive package).

Remember that these prices are generally aimed at small and medium sized businesses rather than residential connections and there’s no mention of line rental on the product page or an included router / modem (a lot of smaller business ISPs do not include line rental into their monthly prices).

G.fast Packages

Cerberus G.Fast Business
Up to 160Mbps down
Up to 30Mbps up
£30.00 MyCloud Voucher

PRICE: £60.00 Monthly

Cerberus G.Fast Pro
Up to 330Mbps down
Up to 50Mbps up
£40.00 MyCloud Voucher

PRICE: £75.00 Monthly

NOTE: Free activation with 24 month contract, otherwise £104.00 with 12 month contract. Service is described as a “late-stage technical trial.”

FTTP Packages

Cerberus FTTP Standard
80Mbps down
20Mbps up
£20.00 MyCloud Voucher

PRICE: £32.50 Monthly

Cerberus FTTP Pro 3
330Mbps down
50Mbps up
£40.00 MyCloud Voucher

PRICE: £80.00 Monthly for 12 Months (£95.00 thereafter)

NOTE: Free activation with 24 month contract, otherwise £97.00 with 12 month contract.

UPDATE 2nd August 2017

We can confirm that none of the above packages include the cost of copper line rental, which would need to be factored into the price of their G.fast service. In addition, their FTTP packages also appear to support FTTP-on-Demand (FoD) orders and we’re currently double checking to get this confirmed.

UPDATE2:

We can confirm that FoD orders are indeed supported. We can also confirm that none of the above packages include a router, although the G.fast service does come with Openreach’s modem.