BT Targets Olympic Deadline For NGA Rollout

BT has pledged to rollout out its superfast broadband network in time for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

According to a report on the Financial Times, BT said on Monday that it will connect 10 million homes, or 40 percent of UK households, to its next-generation access (NGA) fibre service, at a cost of £1.5 billion.

The British carrier has initially targeted the end of 2012 for the NGA deployment, but now believes it can deploy the network prior to the start of the Olympic games, which are scheduled to begin on 27 July 2012.

“The programme is ahead of schedule. Given the progress we’re making, four million homes will have access to fibre by the end of next year,” said BT chief executive Ian Livingstone. “2012 will be an important year for the UK given the Olympics and so I’m keen we provide ten million homes with access to fibre by the time the games begin. Being a sponsor, we’ve several big deliverables associated with the Games and I’m sure we can cross the line in time, six months ahead of schedule.”

For the lucky 40 percent of UK homes, the news will be welcomed, but much confusion still surrounds the roll-out of fibre to the other 60 percent of the UK. BT has previously been criticised for the fact that many UK residents will miss out on high speed Internet access.

The carrier itself has previously stated that there is “no economic case” for extending the network beyond 10 million homes at the present.

Chancellor Alistair Darling confirmed in his Pre-Budget Report earlier this month that the 50p-per-month broadband tax will be included in the Finance Bill. This, it hopes, will connect 90 percent of the UK to superfast broadband by 2017. However, in reality, the government’s sums do not add up, and are dependent on Labour winning next year’s general election and finding private investors, both of which seem unlikely.

BT’s Livingstone also made reference to the Conservative party’s hostility towards the broadband tax.

“If you look around the world, several governments are proactively supporting the roll out of fibre broadband. There’s still a debate in the UK – which is fine – but we need our politicians to decide how much of a priority fibre broadband is,” he said. “BT is the only company currently planning to invest large sums in this area but we can only go so far with our shareholder’s money.”

“Australia, France and the US have recently revealed ambitious plans and so it’s important the UK doesn’t hesitate,” he added. “That’s why it’s important we deploy fibre to at least ten million homes and businesses as quickly as possible. If things go well, we may well go beyond that although full coverage will inevitably involve support from the public sector.”

Last week, a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) presented a mixed bag of results for the UK regarding the health and competitiveness of its broadband market. It found that the UK was lagging behind in next-generation broadband (i.e. fibre), but is holding its own regarding penetration and price.

The problem of rolling out costly fibre to remotely populated areas is not a new issue. Recently, residents in Alston Moor in Cumbria, announced that they were digging their own trenches in order to ensure their Parish enjoys superfast speeds promised by fibre.