BT has announced its latest plans for super-fast broadband, to further support the Government's vision of creating the best super-fast broadband network in Europe by 2015. These plans include a technical trial of 1 Gbps fibre broadband speeds in Kesgrave, Suffolk, and the inclusion of up to 40 rural market towns in the next phase of BT's deployment of super-fast fibre broadband. The 1 Gbps fibre broadband trial will commence in early-2011. The purpose of the technical trial is to demonstrate the maximum speed capabilities of BT's FTTP product, namely its ability to deliver downstream speeds of 1 Gbps and upstream speeds of 400 Mbps to businesses and consumers, subject to the appropriate network conditions and customer equipment. The trial will test the delivery of broadband speeds ten times faster than BT's current FTTP product, which is set to launch commercially in 2011. As part of BT's commitment to delivering faster broadband speeds to more rural parts of the UK and in response to high customer demand for fibre in these areas, selected market towns where premises and cabinets are suitably clustered will now be eligible for fibre deployment. BT will therefore be including up to 40 rural market towns in the next phase of exchanges for fibre broadband. These areas will be able to enjoy the benefits of the technology from late 2011/early 2012. BT plans to announce the next list of exchanges in January 2011. Ahead of a planned broadband speech by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt on 06 December, BT confirmed it is ready to contribute further funding should it win public money in any of the government's tenders aimed at bringing fibre to rural areas.
