Expected to be one of the fast connections in Europe, BT says it will roll out fibre-based broadband to over 10 million premises in the UK by 2012, three million more than its present reach. It will commence smaller upgrade to its service this summer, with the view to make speeds of up to 80Mbps commercially available to small and medium sized businesses by this year.
BT’s most recent trials for FTTP connectivity in St Agnes, Cornwall has seemingly proved successful, with the company confirming it will implement its broadband plans earlier than expected. BT said in a statement its “technological development has the potential to transform the UK broadband landscape”.
“FTTP on demand is a significant development for Broadband Britain,” said Olivia Garfield, chief executive at Openreach. “Essentially, it could make our fast speeds available wherever we deploy fibre. This will be welcome news for small businesses who may wish to benefit from the competitive advantage that such speeds provide.”
Working with local councils and developed governments, BT said it wants to make fibre broadband available to more than 90% of the UK as soon as possible, and it is bidding for state funding through Broadband Delivery UK to make that happen.
