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First phase of £1.5bn upgrade programme involves 29 exchanges
BT has named the first 29 exchanges from which 40Mbits/sec web access will be available from early next year.
The locations are spread across the UK – avoiding accusations of a London bias – within reach of an estimated 500,000 homes. Two of the chosen exchanges – Calder Valley, near Halifax, and Taffs Well, near Cardiff – are in the countryside.
The others are: Chelmsford, Essex; St Albans, Watford and Hemel Hempstead in Herts; Leagrave and Luton, Beds; Canonbury, Chingford, Enfield, Highams Park, Tottenham, Thamesmead and Woolwich in London; Bury, Didsbury, Failsworth, Heaton Moor, Oldham and Rusholme in Greater Manchester; Belfast Balmoral; Dean, Edinburgh; Glasgow Halfway, Glasgow Western; Cardiff; Halifax and Pudsey, West Yorkshire and Humber.
Upgrading involves taking fibre to street cabinets (FTTC). This means the final stretch is still over the old telephone lines, which were not designed for the purpose; cable companies use more suitable coaxial lines.
But BT says FTTC has the potential to support 60Mbits/sec, and certainly fewer homes will suffer low data rates because of their distance from their local exchange.
Another advantage is that FTTC will provide upstream speeds of up to 10Mbits/sec, which would enable high-quality video telephony
BT has pledged to spend £1.5bn by 2012 to ensure that 40 per cent of UK homes and businesses can access FTTC services. FTTC is being piloted this summer in Muswell Hill, London, and Whitchurch in Cardiff.
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Good News
That can only be good news. At least it is a start. I get an average of between 4MB and 6Mb daily, dropping about 1MB at peak evening times. My exchange is not on the list, so I can only hope that one day, maybe, if I wish upon a star. I`m happy with my connection speed at the moment, but if my exchange were to get Fibre optic, wow!
Posted by John-H, 25 Mar 2009
40 bit access
Apparently the Midlands and East Anglia do not have computers.
Posted by H> Gregory, 25 Mar 2009
Northern Ireland at the end of the queue
There may not be a London bias but again BT chooses just one location here in N.I. to upgrade whilst the rest of the UK gets more than one. How long will we have to wait to be treated the same as the rest of the UK? Mike, North Down.
Posted by Michael Todd, 25 Mar 2009
What about the wesy country
All this talk about 40 Mbit when we are paying top rate for two and a half - if we are lucky. Michael
Posted by Mr M J Cornell, 26 Mar 2009
North East
Firstly I sympathise with the people who can't get broadband at all. We pay the same amount as people who get up to 16mb broadband and we are lucky if we can get half a meg if any connection at all and it's not my isp it's the phone lines. However I don't see anywhere listed that's in the North East of England, I suppose we'll be last on the list as with the 2012 date for digital switchover.
Posted by PC, 27 Mar 2009
BROADBAND - I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY !
It's a shame BT don't start with those customers who can't get broadband at all - I'm on dial up at 4Kbs so before any of you moan that you're only getting 2Mb, I'm paying £14.99 a month for the privilege of very slow dial up.
Posted by Graham, 27 Mar 2009
West Country looses Out again
More dissapointment , which is why I left BT why pay premium rates for 2nd class service , Plymouth too far away or is locality next to a strategic Naval Base confining use to solid more robust communication which an EMP wouldn't affect ?
Posted by Mike Cooke, 27 Mar 2009
No Broadband!
Its very unfair that we can only use 'dial-up' and no 'broadband' at all...bt should sort this out first.
Posted by Fred, 28 Mar 2009
BT or Bust....
BT is effectively a private monopoly which cherry picks it's market. Someone needs to get tough with it, and review it's universal obligation terms. It's high time this included provision of basic 2Mb broadband guaranteed for all. This is neither difficult nor expensive using radio technology. When that's done, then let's talk about 40Mb links, and this time to ALL, not just the nearest, juiciest and tastiest cherries. And if they can't do that....offer a licence that does to the market, and consign BT to it's rightful place, history!
Posted by Gareth, 26 Jun 2010