With Government support, 90 percent coverage is achievable says Ian Livingston

BT, the giant in the communications sector in the UK, says that the work of broadening the broadband network is going as per schedule. It has a 2.5 Billion Pounds deployment programme which includes the upgrading of 178 exchanges. By 2014, the company wants to cover at least two thirds of the UK with superfast broadband network. By upgrading the existing exchanges and by installing the new ones where ever necessary, the company expects to achieve its goal. According to Mr. Olivia Garfield, CEO of Openreach, BT’s infrastructure company, the company has already covered more than six million premises and it is its aim to cover at least ten million premises in 2012. At the same time the CEO of BT, Mr. Ian Livingston said that everything depends on the availability of funds. Now funding and the progress of work etc. are being closely monitored by BDUK. He added that with the support of the public sector, the target of covering 90% of the premises in the UK is achievable. He continued that now the businesses are equipped with additional bandwidth which would definitely help their business. At present the businesses have the average fibre speed of 6.8Mbits to 40Mbits/s. BT expects to double the fibre speed from 40 Mbits/s to 80Mbits/s during the next year. To attain speeds of up to 300Mbits/s, a faster substitute will be introduced in some locations by the Spring of 2012. A deal has been made by the company with CLSA, an independent brokerage and investment firm for 45 million Pounds to achieve the company’s goal.