BT to consider ultra-fast broadband network

[BGonaSTICK]

BT has dropped its hostility to building an ultra-fast broadband network and is now willing to discuss it at the industry summit that competitiveness minister Stephen Timms is to chair later in the year. Timms' summit will consider the potential need for public sector intervention in next generation broadband supporting download speeds higher than 20 Mbps, sufficient to support multiple HDTV feeds using MPEG4, as well as other internet and telephony services.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Ian Livingston, BT head of retail, said that the company was open to building the network if it could charge other operators a "sensible price" for it. This is a U-turn on BT's previous policy, which was that there was no economic case for swapping the existing copper wires that go into homes and businesses with a fibre network.

It follows Timms' speech last week that echoed earlier fears by the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) that Britain will be economically disadvantaged by the fact that BT's 21CN network will offer slower broadband speeds than those possible on systems being put down in places like Germany, France and South Korea.

Livingston added that BT was also open to building out fibre cables to cabinets at street kerbs to extend broadband speeds. He said: "BT remains very interested in further expanding the speed of access for customers, whether that be through faster copper, fibre to the home or fibre to the cabinet."

[BGonaSTICK]

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday BT were rubbing sticks together and today they're manufacturing dilithium crystal powered warp drives to save the world. Oh, I do love BT so very very much. They just have so much integrity! I must try and be more like them.

They should just be called 'T' because they are a disgrace. If they were a football player, they would be Robbie Savage. If they were a medical condition: herpes. If they were a piece of fruit, they would be the ugly hairy arse-hole fruit.

[nousernamesleft]

You clearly have the same respect for them that I do.. They might want to think about sorting their current broadband joke rather than trying to inflict a new network upon us..

[wod]

was it in the early 90s they wasn't allowed to install fibre optic c@ble as this would have made such an improvement to internet speeds. think the goverment stopped them from doing it

[BGonaSTICK]

What they should have done is roll out fibre 10 or even 20 years ago even if they left it dark.

Mr Timms' pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-predecessor should have pulled their thumb out of their butt and stuck it in their pocket to help pay for it too. A bit late to be bleating on about how we're going to get left behind.

Abso-****ing-lutely unbelievable.

Just don't even get me started. I have to ration myself to '*'s as it is, and I'll be through my daily allowance before breakfast!