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BT to offer 100Mbps broadband in Ebbsfleet Valley, Kent

BT Openreach has announced further details of a super-fast fibre-optic broadband network at Ebbsfleet Valley in Kent.

BT selected the site some time ago to install fibre instead of copper as it is a new location.  BT’s Openreach division announced that it will use fibre-optic cable to connect homes on a 1,000 acre plot, owned by Land Securities.  The new project includes plans to build 10,000 homes and offer several million sq. ft of space to commercial projects, retail, leisure and community facilities.

The fibre based broadband product will support speeds of up to 100Mbps.  BT states that it will allow multiple HDTV channels to be watched simultaneously, HDTV gaming and near instant music downloads.  In the interests of competition (and Ofcom), BT will offer the products on a wholesale basis to UK communication providers for reselling at the retail level.

Following much publicity regarding the state of the UK’s broadband network in 2007, the project looks like it will be a test bed for BT to assess the commercial viability of a future UK wide super-fast broadband network.

“This is our first deployment of fibre rather than copper to residential customers on a new build site.  It will enable communication providers to gauge what demand exists for very high speed broadband, and to assess what commercial models may be appropriate in the future,” said Steve Robertson, chief executive of Openreach.

BT also said that it intends to make greater use of fibre in suitable new build sites.  However, the company warns that it is subject to agreement with Ofcom on how manage the regulatory matters on UK-wide fibre development, as the current regulation only applies to copper-based products.

Andy Freeman, head of project management at Land Securities, said: “Ebbsfleet Valley, which has been identified by the Government as one of four key ‘transformational’ projects in the Thames Gateway, is the first development site in the UK to initiate fibre to the premises technology to all new homes.”