NR 0475

BT BREAKS DOWN BARRIER TO BRING A MILLION MORE CUSTOMERS WITHIN REACH OF BROADBAND

Broadband availability to match analogue TV coverage by Summer 2005
Distance limits removed for 512kb/sec ADSL services

Range for 1 Mb/sec ADSL extended to reach 6km from exchange

BT today announced it was removing the distance related limits for the most popular broadband services, bringing potentially more than a million more UK homes and businesses within reach of broadband.

Following BT Wholesale trials in Milton Keynes and rural areas around Fort William and Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands, BT is confident a 512kb/sec ADSL service can now be provided to the vast majority of people beyond the former limit which was roughly equivalent to 6km distance from the exchange.

From September 6, 2004, the reach limit for the 512kb/sec ADSL services will be removed. BT is also increasing the range for 1Mb/sec premium services from 4km to approximately 6km – making 1Mb/sec ADSL available to 96 per cent of homes and businesses connected to a broadband exchange.

The trial data indicates that removing the limit means 99.8 per cent of lines connected to a broadband exchange should now be able to get a 512kb/sec ADSL service. To date approximately 96 per cent of homes and businesses connected to broadband enabled exchanges were within range for 512kb/sec ADSL.

Alison Ritchie, BT chief broadband officer, said: “By pushing the boundaries on broadband reach we are building on our exchange upgrade rollout programme which means the remaining gaps in the broadband Britain jigsaw are getting smaller and smaller.

“ Today’s announcement, together with our exchange upgrade programme means that by next summer we expect the availability of ADSL broadband in the UK to be at 99.4 per cent - on a par with the percentage of homes that can get good quality analogue TV signals for the four main terrestrial channels*.

“ The trial data and feedback from the trialists in Milton Keynes and others involved in the trials in Fort William and Dingwall has contributed to bringing broadband within reach of another million homes. Their commitment to work with us has helped bring us all a significant step closer to a truly broadband Britain.

“ If you thought you couldn’t get broadband – think again. When the new developments come into force in September, place an order with your service provider and in most cases BT will be able to get broadband to you.”

The trials revealed that to provide broadband service to approximately one in five people beyond the former limit will require a visit by a BT engineer to make modifications to wiring at the customer premises or to local BT network cabling. BT would not charge the customer for this engineer visit. For a small number of cases it may not be possible to provide reliable broadband service at 512kb/sec, even following a visit by a BT engineer. However, BT will continue to seek a solution as the technologies develop. The trial data indicates that where the exchange is upgraded for broadband, an average of 99.8 per cent of lines should be able to get 512kb/sec ADSL broadband service.

BT’s exchange upgrade programme to take broadband coverage to exchanges serving 99.6 per cent of households by summer 2005 makes the UK number one for ADSL availability in the G7 group of leading industrial countries both at the end of this year and 2005. This position was outlined in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report “The development of broadband access in rural and remote areas” which is available at www.oecd.org/sti/telecom.

1st July 2004

Mr Robert Key, MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

BT announces advanced timetable for broadband rollout

I wrote to you in April when BT announced the end of the registration scheme for broadband enablement, and the move to a planned roll-out of broadband for the remaining 1,128 exchanges where triggers had been set, but not met.

This rollout programme will speed up the national deployment of broadband bringing it to more communities in a shorter time than would otherwise have been possible.

I am pleased to let you know of the new – and advanced – timetable for broadband coming to the following exchanges within your constituency:

• Fovant is due to go live on 20th October 2004
• Donhead is due to go live on 10th November 2004
• Durrington Walls is due to go live on 9th February 2005
• Bulford Camp is due to go live on 9th February 2005
• Idmiston is due to go live on 16th February 2005
• Shrewton is due to go live on 16th February 2005
• Farley is due to go live on 20th April 2005
• Stapleford is due to go live on 20th April 2005

We have upgraded our systems so that customers can order broadband from their chosen Internet Service Provider immediately rather than having to wait until the exchange is upgraded before placing their order. This will mean that customers will be able to receive broadband service as soon as possible.

BT is still committed to working in partnership with public sector and other organisations to find alternative technology solutions for the remaining communities without broadband who are served by the very smallest exchanges, including Wylye in your constituency. There are 564 exchanges in this position, 399 in Scotland.

We are also greatly encouraged by the initial results of our trials to extend the reach of broadband beyond the current limits so more people whose telephone exchange is enabled to deliver broadband services can actually use it. At the moment, as a rule of thumb, service is limited to those whose line connection to the exchange doesn’t exceed 6km. We are hopeful that the trials we are conducting will result in ADSL services being made available to over a million more homes and businesses throughout the UK.

Our planned rollout of broadband will increase the percentage of households served by a broadband enabled telephone exchange from the current 90% to 99.6% by summer 2005. The UK continues to lead the G7 group of countries in broadband availability, but much more has to be done to encourage people to use broadband services. It is increasingly important for the UK that businesses, consumers and public organisations adopt broadband and gain the benefits, including increased productivity, flexibility of working and improved services.

In order to help drive up usage of broadband, we are also announcing today that we are reducing the rental prices for our family of consumer broadband products by up to 25 per cent.

TIM O’SULLIVAN
HEAD OF UK PUBLIC AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

27th April 2004

BT Broadband Announcement –
27th April 2004

BT has today announced plans to speed up the rollout of delivery of broadband services to rural communities.

We are replacing the current pre-registration scheme and are moving to a planned rollout to a further 1,128 exchanges by no later than summer 2005. This will help bring broadband to exchanges serving 99.6 per cent of UK homes and businesses. The new approach replaces the broadband registration trigger scheme that has helped us match investment to demand since July 2002.

The broadband registration scheme has been a powerful tool for us to match investment to demand, and its fantastic success, with the support of local campaigners, has set the way for other countries to follow. Now, as we move into more and more rural areas and we have a clearer picture of growing demand, there are real benefits to be gained through a planned roll out. This means we can deliver broadband to far more people in a shorter timeframe.

The new approach means we can use the best engineering solution for the whole network to efficiently manage costs and future growth. Together with our plans to extend the reach of broadband from a local exchange, this takes us significantly closer to universal availability.

The roll out programme will be announced in detail by the end of June and will help BT bring forward some published broadband switch-on dates.
For the Salisbury constituency, we will announce the go live dates for Bulford Camp, Donhead, Durrington Wells, Farley, Fovant, Idmiston, Shrewton and Stapleford by the end of June.

The go live date for Cholderton, which has already reached its trigger level, will be announced within the next couple of weeks.

The go live dates for Earldoms and Teffont, both of which are within 10% of reaching their trigger levels, will also be announced over the next couple of weeks.

We acknowledge and pay tribute to local broadband campaigners - their impact has been phenomenal, and their efforts have meant take-up rates on trigger exchanges have exceeded those for exchanges that were enabled before the registration scheme.
They have helped change the market and this in turn has contributed to our decision to take this approach.

Today’s announcement will deliver broadband to every exchange in the UK except for the very smallest, (including Alderbury and Wylye in your constituency) which between them account for less than 100,000 premises. BT will continue to seek to work in partnership with public sector and other organisations to find suitable ways of delivering broadband to these exchanges. BT has developed or is developing several products that are suitable including wireless and satellite broadband as well as the Exchange Activate community broadband solution.

19th November 2003

BT Sets Goal of 100% Broadband

On Monday BT announced that 100% broadband coverage of every UK community is achievable by 2005 if industry and government pull together. This would put the UK in a position to lead the world.

BT currently makes mass market broadband available to more than 80% of households – more houses than are connected to mains gas – and the company is set to upgrade exchanges serving 90% during next year.

Robert Key M.P, who recently chaired a public meeting at The Guildhall in Salisbury to explain the initiatives under way to provide Broadband for all, has welcomed the news from BT that they will take broadband internet access to almost all communities by the end of 2005.

He said, 'It is very good news that BT have reacted to pressure from their customers and from Parliament. They got the message that if they did not invest, their market would be taken by other providers and other technologies. But - and it is a big 'but' - small villages and isolated buildings will still be left out in the cold. For example, Wylye will not be served by BT and will need to look for other solutions.'