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Super-fast BT racing to ten million fibre-optic homes by 2012 Olympics
21 Dec 2009 | 22.02 Europe/London
Not only has BT Retail declared itself the first UK Internet Service Provider to reach - and breach - the five million customer milestone, it's also revealed it's ahead of schedule when it comes to installing its next-generation broadband network. The £1.5 billion fibre-optic project will now be complete in time for the London 2012 Olympics - and the firm's calling on the Government to "decide how much of a priority fibre broadband is" before Britain gets left behind in the super-fast broadband competition.
BT says it's managed to add a million Consumer and Business customers in just over two years. For its five-millionth customer, it had a trick up its sleeve - even if she had a chip on her shoulder. A lucky Elizabeth Patterson from Glasgow, who works in a chip shop, has been bundled off to Vancouver to see the Winter Olympics. ("Chip shop worker frying high as she jets off to Winter Olympics," laughed the BT press office, coining a phrase that must surely violate some law somewhere - even if it's just that of human decency.) She'll apparently even get to watch the closing ceremony.
According to the BT press release, "there's no sign of let up in the pace of Consumer and Business customers signing up for high speed Internet access." However, it also points out that back in 2003 there were only 135,000 ADSL broadband connections. If adding one million customers every two years really was the pace the firm had always been chugging along at, by the end of 2009 it would only have just over three million customers. But then again it also claims that that "broadband" is available "at exchanges serving ninety-nine per cent of the UK population" (sure, if you mean 512Kbit/s).
"Broadband has the ability to transform people’s lives and the fact that we are still showing strong take-up when there are more than fourteen million ADSL broadband customers in the UK is testament to the unique benefits of being connected," says John Petter, managing director of BT's Consumer division. "There is more to come, as we believe bringing the content of things like iPlayer and ITVPlayer to the TV set via broadband is going to have a transformational effect when we launch Project Canvas with our partners next year."
In what must be a relief for the "official communications partner" of the London Olympics, because BT's fibre-optic plans are ahead of schedule it can now finally say its super-fast network will be complete by the time the Summer Games start in 2012. "Given the progress we're making, four million homes will have access to fibre by the end of next year," says BT chief executive Ian Livingstone. "2012 will be an important year for the UK given the Olympics. Being a sponsor, we've several big deliverables associated with the Games and I'm sure we can cross the line in time, six months ahead of schedule."
The London Olympics will start on July 27th, 2012 - a lot sooner than the May 2013 target the firm initially set for its next-generation network to be finished - and BT says it'll have ten million customers hooked up its fibre-optic network by then. Of course, 2012 is also the year for realising the Digital Britain Universal Service Commitment; the Government's own aspirations for fibre-optic broadband only kick in later, with the aspiration being to have ninety per cent of the UK population on super-fast networks by 2017. "Full coverage," says Mr. Livingstone, would "inevitably involve support from the public sector."
"We need our politicians to decide how much of a priority fibre broadband is," he continues. "If you look around the world, several governments are pro-actively supporting the roll out of fibre broadband. Australia, France and the US have recently revealed ambitious plans and so it's important the UK doesn't hesitate. [Over here] BT is the only company currently planning to invest large sums in this area but we can only go so far with our shareholder's money."
Perhaps BT is really sending Ms. Patterson over to Vancouver to spy on the Canuck's fibre-optic broadband network. "I decided to sign up for broadband so that I could shop online for Christmas presents and so that my son Jamie, who is 11, can use the internet to help with his homework.” she says. "I've never been to Canada before." As a cover story, it's almost too perfect.
The lucky five-millionth ADSL customer
BT says it's managed to add a million Consumer and Business customers in just over two years. For its five-millionth customer, it had a trick up its sleeve - even if she had a chip on her shoulder. A lucky Elizabeth Patterson from Glasgow, who works in a chip shop, has been bundled off to Vancouver to see the Winter Olympics. ("Chip shop worker frying high as she jets off to Winter Olympics," laughed the BT press office, coining a phrase that must surely violate some law somewhere - even if it's just that of human decency.) She'll apparently even get to watch the closing ceremony.
According to the BT press release, "there's no sign of let up in the pace of Consumer and Business customers signing up for high speed Internet access." However, it also points out that back in 2003 there were only 135,000 ADSL broadband connections. If adding one million customers every two years really was the pace the firm had always been chugging along at, by the end of 2009 it would only have just over three million customers. But then again it also claims that that "broadband" is available "at exchanges serving ninety-nine per cent of the UK population" (sure, if you mean 512Kbit/s).
"Broadband has the ability to transform people’s lives and the fact that we are still showing strong take-up when there are more than fourteen million ADSL broadband customers in the UK is testament to the unique benefits of being connected," says John Petter, managing director of BT's Consumer division. "There is more to come, as we believe bringing the content of things like iPlayer and ITVPlayer to the TV set via broadband is going to have a transformational effect when we launch Project Canvas with our partners next year."
Ten million homes on fibre-optic broadband by summer 2012
In what must be a relief for the "official communications partner" of the London Olympics, because BT's fibre-optic plans are ahead of schedule it can now finally say its super-fast network will be complete by the time the Summer Games start in 2012. "Given the progress we're making, four million homes will have access to fibre by the end of next year," says BT chief executive Ian Livingstone. "2012 will be an important year for the UK given the Olympics. Being a sponsor, we've several big deliverables associated with the Games and I'm sure we can cross the line in time, six months ahead of schedule."
The London Olympics will start on July 27th, 2012 - a lot sooner than the May 2013 target the firm initially set for its next-generation network to be finished - and BT says it'll have ten million customers hooked up its fibre-optic network by then. Of course, 2012 is also the year for realising the Digital Britain Universal Service Commitment; the Government's own aspirations for fibre-optic broadband only kick in later, with the aspiration being to have ninety per cent of the UK population on super-fast networks by 2017. "Full coverage," says Mr. Livingstone, would "inevitably involve support from the public sector."
The super-fast race for fibre broadband
"We need our politicians to decide how much of a priority fibre broadband is," he continues. "If you look around the world, several governments are pro-actively supporting the roll out of fibre broadband. Australia, France and the US have recently revealed ambitious plans and so it's important the UK doesn't hesitate. [Over here] BT is the only company currently planning to invest large sums in this area but we can only go so far with our shareholder's money."
Perhaps BT is really sending Ms. Patterson over to Vancouver to spy on the Canuck's fibre-optic broadband network. "I decided to sign up for broadband so that I could shop online for Christmas presents and so that my son Jamie, who is 11, can use the internet to help with his homework.” she says. "I've never been to Canada before." As a cover story, it's almost too perfect.