Posted: 19th May, 2004 By: MarkJ
Believe it or not BT claims to have finally achieved 90% broadband coverage, with "nine out of 10 UK homes and businesses" being within reach of an ADSL enabled exchange:
BT hits 90 per cent broadband coverage milestone
The 22 exchanges going live for broadband today take coverage past the 90 per cent mark - a significant milestone on the way to universal broadband availability.
BT Wholesale chief executive Paul Reynolds said: "This is a stunning achievement. Nine out of 10 people are now connected up to a broadband exchange and we've announced plans to get us to near universal coverage by next summer - well ahead of earlier predictions.
"Our pioneering approach to broadband rollout has been widely recognised, most recently with the OECD rural broadband report putting Britain ahead of the pack for broadband availability compared to the other G7 nations.
"BT has put the UK at 90 per cent ADSL coverage today with our closest competitor countries in the G7 aiming for this level by the end of 2004. By that stage we'll be past 95 percent and well on the way to topping 99 per cent by summer 2005."
Each week, BT's broadband rollout programme sees exchanges serving thousands more homes and businesses upgraded for broadband. To date there are 2,652 exchanges live for broadband with 2,366 more in the build programme for upgrade by next summer giving 99.6 per cent coverage.
BT continues to investigate innovative approaches, including working with public sector partners, to bring broadband to the remaining areas served by the 566 smallest and most remote exchanges which between them serve fewer than 100,000 homes.
The rollout programme is reaching more and more rural areas with exchanges going live today including Keswick in the Lake District and Germoe in Cornwall. The arrival of broadband at Ogmore Valley, one of a trio of Welsh exchanges going live today, completes the exchange rollout for the Bridgend local authority area.
Quality!