DC09-071 April 2, 2009
Kilmarnock at leading edge of ‘next generation broadband’ revolution in Scotland
All BT lines in the town are now enabled for world-leading 21st Century Network
Kilmarnock is at the forefront of the UK’s development of world-leading ‘next generation broadband’ communications for homes and businesses.
BT today announced that all of its phone and broadband lines in the town are now enabled for ‘next generation broadband’ services on the company’s pioneering ‘21st Century Network’ (21CN) platform.
New equipment installed by BT has allowed more than 26,400 lines to be upgraded in Kilmarnock as part of BT’s multi-billion pound investment across the UK in the world’s most advanced global communications platform, which will carry voice, data, video-on-demand and broadband services.
The new network will give increased customer choice and flexibility, allow more features and enable the faster introduction of new services for all communications providers.
Brendan Dick, director, BT Scotland, said: “Kilmarnock is one of the first major communities in the UK to achieve this level of coverage. It is a key milestone for the town and fantastic to be part of this exciting, world-leading project.
“Most of the foundations are now in place for offering next generation broadband services, but of course it will take time for companies offering those services to introduce products taking full advantage of this major investment. We are working with these companies to move forward as quickly as possible.”
He emphasised that the new network is an entirely new broadband service, not simply an improved version of what already exists. “We’re building the highway of the future, all we now need are the technology applications.
“Every aspect of the service is new,” he said. “It will play a major role in helping Kilmarnock attract and retain inward investment.
“The world of telecommunications is moving at a staggeringly fast pace. In recent years, we have seen a tremendous demand emerge for broadband, but we are only at the start of a very fast and exciting journey. High-speed communications are increasingly transforming the way we live, work, learn and play.
“This massive investment will offer numerous benefits. Many homes and businesses will benefit from faster broadband, with speeds of up to 20Mbit/s possible – that’s more than double the maximum speeds currently available on the existing network. Communications service providers will be able to customise their products to more closely meet the needs of their customers.
“Delivered over next generation broadband, content services will be quicker, more efficient and offer a much wider range of features than those currently available, paving the way for people to enjoy many new experiences.
“For householders, the benefits include high definition video and voice services, much improved service quality and, increasingly, users will themselves be able to make changes and improvements, which previously could only be carried out by the service provider.
“Small firms will have access to technology once only available to big companies, quickly responding to changes in the market in ways once only available to much larger enterprises. For example, companies, such as restaurants, hotels or estate agents, will be able to quickly and easily voice-enable their websites so that their customers can access the information over the phone, rather than via a computer screen.
“The flexibility of the new network will make it much easier to provide businesses with their precise bandwidth needs and to quickly increase speeds when necessary. Further ahead, 21CN will also ensure that Kilmarnock’s homes and businesses can take full advantage of many new products and services as soon as they become available.”
Around half a million telephone lines across Scotland – around a fifth of the total – have been enabled for next generation broadband.
