BT ramps up fibre rollout

UK telco BT will offer its super-fast fibre broadband service to 1.5 million households by early summer 2010, the company has announced.

In total, 69 locations in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be able to receive the service by next summer. BT has pledged to invest £1.5bn (€1.75bn) on its fibre rollout programme, with the aim of delivering super-fast broadband services to 40% of the UK, approximately 10 million homes, by 2012.

BT will roll out a mix of fibre-to-the-premies (FTTP) and fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) technology but said it expected FTTC to be the most widely deployed. The telco is currently carrying out FTTC pilots in Muswell Hill, London and Whitchurch, South Wales. Sixteen service providers are participating in the pilots.