Fibre-to-Basement scheme to be launched in London
London is set for new superfast technology, with the rest of the UK standing to benefit from improved infrastructure should the trial in the capital be successful.
BT is running the ‘Fibre-to-Basement’ initiative, which will see 225 homes and around 50 small and medium-sized businesses in Middlesex gain access to superfast broadband. The homes that will be the subject of the trial are based in the Middlesex Street Estate while the businesses will all be located at 65 London Wall.
The first deployment of its kind in the UK, the Fibre-to-Basement scheme will reduce the complexity of providing superfast broadband to buildings, which can often mean installing new power sources and closing down whole streets. By adding all the infrastructure required in the basement of the individual building, the time and cost associated with gaining access to high-speed internet is dramatically reduced.
Once the infrastructure has been upgraded, the residents and companies will be able to receive download speeds of up to 80mps – they will also be free to chose from over 130 different broadband providers that can use the superfast technology to supply the internet access.
While around 90 per cent of people in inner London already have access to superfast speeds in excess of 20mps, there are still some that are served by exchange-only servers. This slower, more temperamental broadband can prove challenging, particularly for SMEs.
Graham Bell, chief information officer of the City of London Corporation, commented on the tests: “All businesses are keener than ever to be well-connected and this ‘Fibre-to-Basement’ pilot is a welcome step forwards, especially for smaller SMEs, who are critical to London’s commercial dynamism.
“We hope the trials will lead to further expansion of fibre broadband across the Square Mile for residents and SMEs, complementing the Ethernet infrastructure already available to larger firms.”
If the scheme proves successful BT says it will be expanded across the UK.
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(Image: Bidgee
