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South Yorkshire to get super-fast 50Mbps broadband

French defence and engineering group Thales, has won a contract to build a new “fibre” based broadband network.

The project in the South Yorkshire region, will involve replacing old copper based lines from telephone exchanges up to street cabinets with new fibre-optic cable.  It will cover around almost 600,000 homes in the region, with possible speeds of up to 50 Mbps.

BT copper based lines are currently used to provide broadband to around 99 percent of the UK using ADSL technology.  However, broadband speeds can vary due to the strength of the signal deteriorating over longer distances, leading to slowing speeds in some areas.  By replacing some of this copper from the exchange up to the street cabinet – known as Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC), speeds can be increased dramatically.

This new project is probably being seen as a test bed for possible wider emulation across the UK if it is successful.  Earlier this year, Stephen Timms, the government minister for competitiveness, warned that Britain needs to upgrade to a super-fast broadband service to keep up with rival nations.

BT had earlier in the year dismissed the need for a faster fibre based network, who were not convinced that there is enough demand for such a fast service, and that there would be no economical benefits to it as a company.  The incumbent is however currently conducting a test FTTC project in Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent.

According to Times online, Thales beat off competition from the likes of BT to win the contract.  It is being backed by the Yorkshire Forward Regional Development Agency, who believe it could lure small businesses in the area.