BT’s 80Mbps fibre broadband service is now available to ten million premises in the UK, with the fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology roll out “months ahead of schedule” according to the telecoms giant.
BT broadband roll out ahead of schedule
BT is also set to make fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband available on demand in all fibre-enabled areas from spring 2013 – meaning homes and businesses would benefit from speeds of 300Mbps and above in the future.
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BT believes that a 90 percent fibre footprint would ensure the UK is a European leader in superfast broadband as homes and businesses across the UK would have access to speeds of up to 80Mbps. The current average speed in the UK is 7.6Mbps.
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BT has invested £2.5 billion in plans to make fibre broadband available to two thirds of UK premises by the end of 2014.
The company claims it has recruited hundreds of extra engineers in the past year to help with the fibre roll-out.
BT suggests that small businesses will benefit from the much faster broadband speeds on offer. This, it claims, has already been shown in Northern Ireland where fibre broadband is available to 89 per cent of homes and businesses due to a partnership between BT and the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Investment.
BT believes it is possible to replicate the success of Northern Ireland in the UK mainland with the help of.
BT is bidding for extra Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) funds in each region of the UK, and says it is prepared to invest further funds should it win them.
Currently BT is the preferred BDUK supplier in Rutland, has won the bid in Lancashire, and is bidding in other parts of the UK.
BT chief executive Ian Livingston said: “Our engineers have worked tirelessly this past year and BT has made a real commitment to the UK’s infrastructure.
“Rolling out fibre is no easy task and so to have passed ten million premises in such a short time is fantastic. Our roll-out is one of the fastest in the world and our engineers deserve lots of credit.
“The UK is making great progress with fibre broadband. There are more than half a million customers already using the service and more than 60 ISPs trialling or offering services.
“This is a significant achievement given we only began selling services a couple of years ago. Momentum is building in the market and that can only be good for Broadband Britain.
“We already compare very well to other major European economies and given our plans, the UK can sprint ahead in the future.”
Comments
Victor Stroud said: BT installed their 80mbps in my house only last week while the engineer was here it did indeed make 75 as soon as he left it went down to 40 and there it has stayed
Chris Conder said: Bit of a joke this its just a company protecting its obsolete assets by making a few near cabinets go faster to boost the average speeds and fudge the stats At least a third of the country will still be on the wrong side of the new digital divide which will be an even wider chasm than the last with many stuck on expensive satellites or dial up what a con
Johnyboy said: SoBT and the Department of Trade Enterprise and Investment are transforming Northern Ireland whilst the rest of us languish on that under 8Mbps which in reality is a lot less in rural and pockets of urban areas Unless the Government stop building new railways which will benefit the few for 175B Olympic no doubt and spend a paltry 55B on fibre to the cabinet for us ALL this country will increasingly have a broadband divide this will ultimately drive businesses ever more into the towns and cities causing turmoil on our poor road infrastructure BT and its shareholders will never put up this sort of money on their own when they have a cosey profitable business already
Age said: All very well artificially boosting the average by creating small pockets of super fast broadband - it is about time BT and Open Reach switched their focus to those street cabinets and exchanges that are not connected - the areas that dont have acceptable broadband speeds I live in the middle of Milton Keynes and barely get 2mbps on a good day I cant even get an ETA on fibre in this area - but less than a mile down the road they have 33mbps fibre Dreadfully inconsistent and ALWAYS a shockingly poor service
Matt said: Still unable to get Shepherds Bush London exchange upgraded to Infinity 1 though arent you Pitiful