British Telecom is gearing up to trial ultra-fast fiber in eight UK cities, as it edges towards a full commercial launch in 2013.
The trial will offer a 330-Mbps broadband connection directly to homes in the eight towns and cities, and be run in two stages. Phase one will run from July through early 2013 and aims to prove the planning and construction processes. Part two will cover tests of automated order processing and downlink reliability, and is scheduled to run from March to May 2013.
BT states the trial is the first time it will offer fiber to the premise (FTTP), instead of fiber to the cabinet. Mike Galvin, managing director of network investment for BT’s Openreach division, says the FTTP service will broaden the appeal of the firm’s fiber offering.
“Whilst we believe FTTC will be our mass market consumer product for some time yet, FTTP may be of interest to small and medium sized businesses…so wewant to make it accessible throughout our fiber footprint,” he explains.
The telco states it has already passed ten million premises with FTTC, and predicts it will cover two thirds of UK homes by end-2014.