BT opens up broadband ducts to the competition

With the objective of extending coverage

8 February 2010 10:36 GMT / By Duncan Geere

BT has announced that it's planning to open up its vast underground tunnel network to competitors, so that they can help the company roll out superfast broadband as widely across the country as possible.

"We told Ofcom last year we're willing to provide open access to our ducts ... and we are working with them on how to achieve it", said BT CEO Ian Livingston. "Open access to all ducts, not just ours, might help BT and others extend coverage and so we would like to see a future government support such a move".

The Tories have already said that they plan to force BT to make this move, so presumably they support it. The Conservative Party recently promised 100Mbps broadband for the "majority" of the country by 2017, whereas Labour has promised 2Mbps broadband by 2012.

BT has already announced that it'll be spending 1.5 billion on improving the optical fibre network in Britain in time for the 2012 Olympic games. That'll no doubt help some way towards both the major parties' goals for universal broadband.

Via: ft.com

Full tags

Software, Broadband, BT