NextGen 10 (2): BT's roll-out
25 November 2010
The BT speaker was Bill Murphy, Managing Director Next Generation Access for BT Group. He explained that the company has committed to a £2.5 billion investment that will take next generation broadband to two-thirds of UK homes involving 50,000 km of fibre, 37,000 new cabinets and 200,00 new distribution points.
The BT service - branded as BT Infinity - has currently passed more than 3 million homes and is on course to pass 4 million by the end of the year and some 10 million by 2012. He claimed that this programme would mean that by 2012 as a proportion of homes passed nationwide the UK would then be ahead of countries like France and the Netherlands.
So far, around 38,000 customers have actually been connected and the company claims that orders are running at over 4,000 a week.
Currently all BT's roll-out is fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) but the company is committed to around 25% of the roll-out being fibre to the home (FFTH). Three FTTH trials are being held in Bradwell Abbey (Milton Keynes), Highams Park (London) and Ebbsfleet (Kent).
Bill Murphy also spoke about the public private partnerships involving BT in both Cornwall and Northern Ireland.
Finally he mentioned the Race To Infinity initiative which is inviting local people to vote to receive fibre to the home in their community. The scheme began on 4 October 2010 and will close on 31 December 2010. Over 200,000 votes have been cast so far and there will be five winners.