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Openreach launches ‘ fibre first ’ programme
Openreach , the infrastructure
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approaching the challenge of building a large-scale FTTP network for the UK . That |
to 1Gbps – to stream 200 HD movies simultaneously – but has the potential to go |
encourages infrastructure investment . We need to get the costs of delivering fibre |
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subsidiary of UK telco BT , has launched its ‘ fibre first programme ’ – which it says fires the starting pistol on a potentially huge upgrade of critical UK infrastructure , using the initiative to call for a supportive public policy and regulatory environment that encourages infrastructure investment .
Clive Selley , CEO Openreach said : “ Passing more than 27 million homes and businesses with superfast broadband is a momentous milestone , but it is also a stepping stone to something much bigger .”
“ We believe investing in FTTP is the right thing to do for the UK . We ’ ve already made a start – with half a million premises in Britain with access to FTTP – a majority in rural areas . But we want to go further . Today sees the launch of our ‘ fibre first programme ’ – which fires the starting pistol on a potentially huge upgrade of critical UK infrastructure ,” he declared .
“ Fibre first is more than just a programme . It ’ s about how Openreach thinks and is
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means wherever we can in the future , we will build ‘ fibre first ’ - including in rural areas .”
“ As a first step , we ’ re accelerating our FTTP build programme by 50 per cent to reach three million homes and businesses by the end of 2020 . We ’ re keen to get going and building work will start in a few months in an initial eight cities – Birmingham , Bristol , Cardiff , Edinburgh , Leeds , Liverpool , London , and Manchester .”
“ Reaching three million premises by 2020 sets Openreach on the right trajectory to achieve its ambition of building a ten million FTTP footprint by the mid-2020s and , if the conditions are right , to go significantly beyond , bringing the benefits of FTTP to the majority of homes and businesses across the UK .”
According to Selley , FTTP is fast enough – currently up
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even faster . “ Last summer , Openreach launched the world ’ s first ever live demonstration of a 100Gbps or ‘ hyperfast ’ broadband service . So we know it can provide a future-proofed digital platform that can boost productivity for decades to come ,” he added .
“ Three million by 2020 might not seem a lot – but connecting every individual property to a full fibre connection is a massive task and takes significant time , engineering and manpower . The job of ‘ fibering ’ the UK will take decades .”
That ’ s why we can ’ t do it alone . Openreach needs to prove it can build FTTP at scale for a competitive cost . Last year , our consultation with industry helped us identify a set of enablers to help us do this . For example , we need a supportive public policy and regulatory environment that
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down and ensure that there is demand for and take up of the new FTTP platform .”
“ We are already making progress for example – we ’ ve halved the cost of delivering fibre all the way to people ’ s homes and we ’ re piloting new ways of working with local government to cut red tape , simplify wayleaves and traffic management . We are also working with our wholesale customers on how to achieve rapid take-up on the new platform and get the incremental revenue needed to help pay for it ,” he revealed .
“ I ’ m under no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead – it is a massive technical , financial and logistical exercise , but we have the people , the scale , the desire and the expertise to do it . I believe Openreach can be at the heart of this digital revolution and has a critical role to play in ensuring the UK has a FTTP network , fit for the future . The prize for our wholesale customers , their customers and the UK as a whole is huge ,” he concluded .
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14 EUROMEDIA |