BT Wholesale said that it plans to almost double its current footprint of its copper broadband service and would reach around 20 million homes and businesses by spring 2011 offering customers’ speeds of up to 24Mbps.
The company said that these services forms part of its strategy for next generation broadband and complements its super-fast fibre based broadband strategy as well as the copper-based broadband. It also revealed substantial reductions for the price it charges communications providers in a move to encourage the take up of next generation broadband.
BT Wholesale said that it already offers these services from exchanges serving more than 40% of UK homes and businesses. The intended expansion of the footprint will take the availability to 55% by spring 2010 and then around 75% by 2011, depending on the customer demand.
Cameron Rejali, managing director of products at BT Wholesale, said: “Today’s announcement is further evidence of BT’s commitment to deliver next-generation broadband services across the UK. By expanding the footprint and reducing wholesale prices, we are helping communications providers deliver faster speeds to more customers, essential benefits in the tough economic and competitive environment we face today.
“We plan to reduce WBC prices to communications providers from January 2010 with bandwidth charges being dropped by almost 50% and WBC rental costs standardised at the lowest current price, too.”
