BT announces 98 further fibre broadband exchanges
The telecoms giant confirms it will roll out fibre broadband to almost 100 new exchanges, reaching 800,000 more businesses and homes
BT is to roll out fibre broadband to a further 98 exchanges across the UK as part of its £2.5bn investment into broadband infrastructure.
The company claimed the extension of its network would enable nearly 800,000 homes and businesses to access connections of up to 80Mbps download and 20Mbps upload, and help BT achieve its goal of reaching two-thirds of the population with its broadband infrastructure by 2014.
Mike Galvin, managing director of network investment at BT Openreach – the division in charge of the roll-out – said: “This is great news for 98 communities across the UK. Our roll-out of fibre continues apace, with over 10 million homes now having access to the many benefits this technology can deliver.”
Galvin said the company was “keen to go beyond” its 2014 target, but admitted it would need the help of funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS’) broadband fund – known as BDUK – as well as “further engagement with local government and communities.”
Some remote locations have been included on the latest list, such as the seaside resort of Sandown on the Isle of Wight and Staffordshire village Stone. However, it also includes boosts to city broadband, with one more exchange in both Bristol and Edinburgh, and an extra two in Glasgow.
To adhere to Ofcom regulations, the lines will be opened up for wholesale reselling to rival ISPs to run their internet offerings, and to enable connections of either fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) or fibre to the premises (FTTP) to the surrounding area.
If FTTP is adopted by ISPs, the speed of connections will rise from 80Mbps downloads to 110Mbps, with the possibility of 330Mbps depending on what service providers choose to deliver.
The exchanges will be enabled with the new connectivity by late 2013.
Locations included in today’s announcement:
| ADEL |
West Yorkshire |
| ALDRIDGE |
West Midlands |
| ALEXANDRIA |
Strathclyde |
| ARMADALE |
West Lothian |
| ASHBOURNE |
Derbyshire |
| ATHERTON |
Greater Manchester |
| AYLESTONE |
Leicestershire |
| BEAUMONT |
Leicestershire |
| BEESTON |
Nottinghamshire |
| BELGRAVE |
Leicestershire |
| BERWICK |
Northumberland |
| BIDEFORD |
Devon |
| BLANTYRE |
South Lanarkshire |
| BOLSOVER |
Derbyshire |
| BOSTON |
Lincolnshire |
| BRECHIN |
Angus |
| BRIDGNORTH |
Shropshire |
| BURGHFIELD COMMON |
Berkshire |
| BURNHAM-ON-SEA |
Somerset |
| BURSLEM |
Staffordshire |
| CALTHORPE |
West Midlands |
| CARLUKE |
South Lanarkshire |
| CASTLE BROMWICH |
West Midlands |
| CHALFONT DR. |
Nottinghamshire |
| CHALFONT ST GILES |
Buckinghamshire |
| CHAPELTOWN |
West Yorkshire |
| CHEYLESMORE |
West Midlands |
| CHIPPING NORTON |
Oxfordshire |
| CHURSTON |
Devon |
| CORSHAM |
Wiltshire |
| CULVERHOUSE |
Caerdydd - Cardiff |
| CUMNOCK |
East Ayrshire |
| CWMBRAN |
Tor-faen - Torfaen |
| DAUBHILL |
Greater Manchester |
| DENTON BURN |
Tyne and Wear |
| DRUIDS HEATH |
West Midlands |
| DUNBAR |
East Lothian |
| DUNCHURCH |
Warwickshire |
| EDINBURGH MAYBURY |
City of Edinburgh |
| FARNINGHAM |
Kent |
| GLASGOW CRANHILL |
Glasgow City |
| GLASGOW SHETTLESTON |
Glasgow City |
| GLASGOW THORNLY PARK |
Renfrewshire |
| GLENFIELD |
Leicestershire |
| GORSEINON |
Abertawe - Swansea |
| HENFIELD |
West Sussex |
| HIGHWORTH |
Wiltshire |
| HINDHEAD |
Surrey |
| HOLT |
Norfolk |
| IDLE |
West Yorkshire |
| INVERURIE |
Aberdeenshire |
| IRVINE |
North Ayrshire |
| KILSYTH |
North Lanarkshire |
| KIRKHAM |
Lancashire |
| LITTLEWICK GREEN |
Berkshire |
| LYTHAM |
Lancashire |
| MAGHULL |
Merseyside |
| MALMESBURY |
Wiltshire |
| MARCH |
Cambridgeshire |
| MARSHALL'S CROSS |
Merseyside |
| MATLOCK |
Derbyshire |
| NEATH |
Castell-nedd Port Talbot - Neath Port Talbot |
| NORTH BENFLEET |
Essex |
| NORWICH NORTH |
Norfolk |
| OAKHAM |
Rutland |
| OBAN |
Argyll and Bute |
| PETERHEAD |
Aberdeenshire |
| PILL |
Somerset |
| PINXTON |
Derbyshire |
| PRESTWICK |
South Ayrshire |
| RIBBLETON |
Lancashire |
| ROCK FERRY |
Merseyside |
| ROTHERHAM |
South Yorkshire |
| RUDDINGTON |
Nottinghamshire |
| SANDOWN |
Isle of Wight |
| SHIRLEY; HAMPSHIRE |
Hampshire |
| SLEAFORD |
Lincolnshire |
| SPRINGFIELD; WEST MIDLANDS |
West Midlands |
| STEWARTON |
East Ayrshire |
| STOKE TRINITY |
Staffordshire |
| STONE; STAFFORDSHIRE |
Staffordshire |
| STRANRAER |
Dumfries and Galloway |
| STURRY |
Kent |
| THORNE |
South Yorkshire |
| THURNBY |
Leicestershire |
| TITCHFIELD |
Hampshire |
| TURGIS GREEN CHINEHAM |
Hampshire |
| UDDINGSTON |
South Lanarkshire |
| UTTOXETER |
Staffordshire |
| WARRINGTON |
Cheshire |
| WESTBURY -ON- TRYM |
City of Bristol |
| WHITBY |
North Yorkshire |
| WHITEHAVEN |
Cumbria |
| WHITTLESEY |
Cambridgeshire |
| WISBECH |
Cambridgeshire |
| WISHAW |
North Lanarkshire |
| WOODGATE |
West Midlands |
| WYTHENSHAWE |
Greater Manchester |
An alphabetical list of the exchanges would have been nice.