Want to put an end to worries (at least in the immediate future) about a clogged pipe, P2P traffic and bandwidth caps? Just take the approach British Telecom has adopted: A nationwide fiber network that will offer 100mps connections and cost a paltry $3 billion. Yep, billion. But the telco is looking forward to connecting some 40 percent of U.K. households—about 10 million homes--as it slowly does away with copper. New construction will get FTTP; existing homes will get FTTC. The incumbent telco says some of the most rural areas will keep copper in the form of ADSL.
BT's new chief executive, Ian Livingston, who took office in April, said the plan marked "the beginning of a new chapter in Britain's broadband story. Broadband has boosted the UK economy and is now an essential part of our customers' lives. We now want to make a step-change in broadband provision which will offer faster speeds than ever before."
BT will put a share buyback plan on hold to help pay for the build out.
For more:
See the Guardian story
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