BT announces its plans to launch fibre optic broadband network

The major UK broadband provider, BT has revealed its plans to launch fibre based next generation broadband services in the UK by the year 2012. The fibre based broadband (FTTx) network which will cost the ISP over £1.5 billion, will combine both FTTP (Fibre to the Premise) and FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) technologies and will offer download speeds of up to 100Mbps to more than 10 million broadband customers in the UK.

FTTC technology will be deployed to improve the existing network to offer speeds of more than 40 Mbps in the initial stage. This will be done by rolling out new last-mile wire to the homes which are already connected by BT lines. However, new FTTP lines will be rolled out to offer download speeds of up to 100 Mbps and are expected to provide higher speeds in the future.

Ian Livingston, CEO of BT said:
“Broadband has boosted the UK economy and is now an essential part of our customers’ lives. We now want to make a step-change in broadband provision which will offer faster speeds than ever before. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in Britain’s broadband story.

This is a bold step by BT and we need others to be just as bold. We are keen to partner with people who share our vision for the next phase of the broadband revolution. We want to work with local and regional bodies to decide where and when we should focus the deployment. Our aim is that urban and rural areas alike will benefit from our investment.”

The total cost of the project will be around £1.5 billion of which £1 billion is incremental to BT’s existing expenditure plans for fibre deployment.