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New BT services SoGEA and SoGFast explained

Products:
All
Keywords:
BT
Openreach
SOGEA
SOGfast

Previously, in order to deliver broadband to a home or office, you needed to have a traditional phone line installed and then ADSL Broadband or Fibre Broadband provided on top of it. BT Openreach are now delivering a single order version of Fibre Broadband and GFast Fibre Broadband that means you or the provider do not have to install a traditional copper phone line to compliment the service. In this article we're going to explore the new SoGEA and SoGFast services from BT Openreach.

What is SoGEA Broadband?

SoGEA stands for Single Order Generic Ethernet Access, this is VDSL2 service without analogue telephone service.

What is SoGFast Fibre Broadband?

SoGFast Fibre Broadband is the GFast variant of SoGEA Fibre Broadband, this is G.Fast (FTTC) without analogue telephone service.

Do DrayTek routers support SoGEA?

Yes! Any DrayTek router that is listed on the comparision chart as supporting VDSL also supports SoGEA.

 

SoGEA & SoGFast - Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages:

  • Cheaper: The cost of a phone line and broadband is slightly more expensive than SoGEA – note that this will vary from provider to provider
  • More reliable: As there are no traditional phone line frequencies being used, there is less of a chance of interference and an unstable connection.
  • Enables solutions for easier home working.
  • Quicker Fault Resolution: Faults can be resolved more rapidly, because the customer only needs to make one support call to their provider. This can be much more convenient for installations that use one provider for phone line service and another for broadband.

Disadvantage:

  • SoGEA / SoGFast users do not have access to a phone number. It is not possible to use an analogue telephone with a SoGEA line. Users will need to adopt VOIP (Voice over IP) or mobile, to be able make and receive telephone calls equivalent to a landline.

What Speeds are available?

The up-to speeds currently possible are:

  • SoGEA 40mb / 10mb
  • SoGEA 55mb / 10mb
  • SoGEA 80mb / 20mb
  • SoGFast 160mb / 30mb
  • SoGFAST 330mb / 50mb


Do SoGEA or SoGFast differ in performance from FTTC & GFast?

No, performance differences between SoGEA/SoGFast and FTTC/GFast are minimal. In some cases, performance may be better overall, as there is no call traffic to interfere with the integrity of the VDSL / G.fast service.


First Published: 01/06/2021
Last Updated: 08/12/2023

Comments

From: Neil Meadows
09/11/2021

what settings are required on the Vigor 2865s to get them to connect to a BT SOGEA Broadband circuit?