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The telecoms giant is using Ebbsfleet as a testbed for its fibre-to-the-home technology, potentially providing broadband speeds of up to 100Mb/sec in short bursts.

BT needs hundreds of homes to participate in the trial to reap accurate test data and has asked Ofcom to waive its Universal Service Conditions [USC], which insist that it must provide services at a uniform price across the country.

Ofcom looks

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set to give BT the green light, although it's asking interested stakeholders for their views first.

"Ofcom wishes to encourage deployment of NGA [next generation access] networks and therefore proposes to consent to BT's request in order to facilitate the Ebbsfleet FTTP [fibre-to-the-premises] pilot," Ofcom's proposal states.

"We think that allowing BT to discount telephony connection and line rental charges for the Ebbsfleet FTTP Pilot would not undermine the overall effectiveness of the USCs because the consent would be restricted to 300 homes for a limited period only. Also BT would not be permitted to charge above its standard rates for the Ebbsfleet FTTP Pilot and the requirement for uniform pricing would continue to apply elsewhere in the UK."

BT Wholesale plans to charge £28.45 per month for the fastest connection, which offers a 10Mb/sec downlink - with burst speeds of up to 100Mb/sec for downloads - and a 2Mb/sec uplink. ISP fees may push the cost of the service up further.