BT invests 1.5bn in super-fast broadband

BT is planning to invest 1.5bn in its super-fast broadband, which it claims is “the UK’s largest ever investment” in the area. The telecoms company is hoping to give up to 10 million homes access to the service by 2012

BT is planning to invest £1.5bn in its super-fast broadband, which it claims is “the UK’s largest ever investment” in the area. The telecoms company is hoping to give up to 10 million homes access to the service by 2012.

The programme will see BT upgrade and extend its existing broadband infrastructure with new fibre material. It can deliver a range of services with speeds of up to 100 megabytes per second with the potential to reach speeds of up to 1,000 megabytes per second. It says the investment forms part of BT’s wider strategy of delivering next-generation broadband speeds nationwide.

BT chief executive, Ian Livingston, says the move “marks the beginning of a new chapter in Britain’s broadband story”.

BT is looking for partners that “share its vision” and is hoping to work with local and regional bodies to decide when and where to focus the deployment.

Fibre-based super-fast broadband will allow families enough speed to run multiple “bandwidth-hungry” applications such as watching high-definition movies while gaming at the same time.

On July 3, Ofcom called on industry leaders to accelerate the roll out of super-fast broadband across the UK, suggesting fixed-line operators must differentiate themselves in the face of rapid take-up of mobile broadband.