BT Wholesale, which currently offers broadband services from exchanges serving some 99 per cent of UK homes and businesses at up to 8Mbps, is now rolling out higher speed services to the majority of the UK population. BT has invested significantly in its 21st century network to enable this. The UK enjoys world leading broadband availability as a result.
Today’s announcement is about enabling exchanges with next generation broadband delivered over copper. BT Wholesale already offers these services from exchanges serving more than 40 per cent of UK homes and businesses. The intended expansion of the footprint will take this availability to 55 per cent by Spring 2010 and then to around 75 per cent depending on customer demand, by Spring 2011.
The roll out of these services forms part of BT Group’s strategy for next generation broadband and complements BT’s super-fast fibre based broadband strategy as well as the latest copper-based broadband. The combination of such services is designed to ensure that as much of the UK as possible can benefit from the highest speed, next generation broadband service.
Wholesale Broadband Connect is the service that will be offered to communications providers. Running over BT’s 21st Century Network, Wholesale Broadband Connect offers CPs the option to provide broadband customers with greater control, choice and flexibility as well as higher speeds of up to 24Mbps. These higher speeds help meet the growing need for high speed access to a range of concurrent online services, including television and gaming online.
Cameron Rejali, Managing Director, Products, BT Wholesale said “Today’s announcement is further evidence of BT’s commitment to deliver next-generation broadband services across the UK. By expanding the footprint and reducing wholesale prices, we are helping communications providers deliver faster speeds to more customers, essential benefits in the tough economic and competitive environment we face today.”
He added: “We plan to reduce WBC prices to communications providers from January 2010 with bandwidth charges being dropped by almost 50 per cent and WBC rental costs standardised at the lowest current price, too.”