Absolute Gadget

If you live in Muswell Hill in London or Whitchurch in South Glamorgan then rejoice, you are going to get super fast fibre-optic broadband. BT are running pilot programmes in the two areas to gauge interest and its viability.

The two areas will be given fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) access. This basically menas that fibre optics will run to the green cabinets in the street and from there it will run through copper cables to the household. The upshot of all of the is people will be able to get broadband speed of up to 40Mbps.

According to BT, the trials are due to begin in summer 2009 and will involve up to 15,000 properties in the two areas. Also, a more technical trial at Kesgrave's Foxhall exchange in Suffolk early next year will be launched.

"The sites were chosen in consultation with communications providers and took into account feedback from Regional Development Agencies, Devolved Authorities and similar organisations," said David Campbell, BT Openreach's director of next-generation access.

"It was also necessary to take into account current network topology and our ability to run testing procedures in the chosen areas. We have a good mix of areas, allowing us to test our products in both urban and semi-rural environments," Said Campbell.

But this is not the first fibre project the telco has worked on, it is running fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in Ebbsfleet in Kent, which gives household broadband speeds of up to 100Mbps.

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