Next generation broadband

By investing up to �1.5 billion, we will deliver speeds many times faster than currently available

In March 2009, Ofcom, the independent regulator of the UK communications industries, gave us a green light to forge ahead with our plans to roll out fi bre-based, super-fast broadband to as many as 10 million homes �some 40 per cent of UK households � by 2012.

By investing up to �1.5 billion, we will deliver speeds many times faster than currently available.

Developing the next generation of the UK�s broadband infrastructure is critical to the country�s future as a knowledge-based economy. Our programme is designed to deliver cost effective, super-fast broadband wherever there is suffi cient demand for these services.

Ruth Pickering, Director of Super-Fast Broadband, says, �Most people in the UK have access to broadband speeds that are adequate for their current needs. But in the future they will use the internet to share things like high quality pictures, video and audio that they have made themselves with family and friends.

�People will also want to view homemade and professionally produced material in high definition on televisions and games consoles. So we need to ensure that consumers and businesses have access to the high-speed bandwidth required to support their future digital ambitions.

�As consumer and business demand for super-fast broadband increases, we will be able satisfy this.�

Super-fast broadband will change everyone�s lives. For example, in a typical home, one family member could be watching a high definition film while another could be playing a computer game against someone living hundreds of miles away. At the same time, another family member might be working from home but talking to their suppliers over a high quality video link, while another is updating their preferred social networking site with their latest holiday video.

For companies, the possibilities are just as enticing. Super-fast broadband doesn�t only deliver higher downstream speeds but faster upstream speeds and better reliability, as well. So employees could work fl exibly, allowing

companies to locate wherever they want or get skills that are in short supply in their area. They can engage with customers in new ways � through video call centres, video enabled product support and even provide vital services such as health surgeries to remote communities.

Schools and colleges could pool resources and teach specialist subjects, which they wouldn�t have been able to do before and allow parents greater participation in the education process.

And all of this cuts back on travel, which means lower carbon emissions too.

BT is already making super-fast broadband a reality for consumers and businesses in the UK. Ruth says, �We are installing fi bre-optic, super-fast broadband in homes in Ebbsfl eet Valley in Kent. People are already getting data speeds of up to 100 megabits per second � by far the fastest speed available to residential customers anywhere in the UK.�

We are doing technical trials in other parts of the country too. For example, we have been running a trial in Foxhall in Suffolk since January 2009; in July 2009 we will begin trials covering around 30,000 premises in Muswell Hill in London and Whitchurch in South Glamorgan. By March 2010, we now aim to provide access to fi bre-based, super-fast broadband to more than one million premises. The trials and early deployment will help us to learn more about the needs of different people in different geographic areas � both in cities and in more rural areas.

The introduction of super-fast broadband will be led by customer demand. Ruth explains, �We don�t have a pre-determined rollout plan. We will introduce super-fast broadband where there�s suffi cient demand. This involves consulting with communication providers, regional development agencies and local and devolved government and introducing the new fi bre-based products where people are ready to use them.�

The UK is now one of the world�s leading countries for broadband in terms of availability, affordability and take-up. The vast majority of people in the UK have access to broadband with nearly two thirds of the population actually subscribing to the service.

Ruth says, �There are already high levels of interest in super-fast broadband. We need to make sure that people are fully aware of its benefi ts and understand that it isn�t just about high speed internet access. We believe that the launch of new services, interactive content and the sharing of information, which requires higher upload speeds, will increase demand.�

<< Back  |  Next >>