100Mbps fibre-optic broadband in Manchester is all stations go

A proposal that was put together last year for the new Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband network is ready to begin deployment by the end of the month, according to the latest announcement from Manchester City Council.

Within the next few weeks the Oxford road area of Manchester will see the work starting. Both businesses and residents will receive speeds of as much as 1000 times faster than any of the areas services that are currently offered through the new network, it is claimed, although realistic speed will stay at around ‘up to’ 100Mbps if it compares to other FTTP network projects.

Councillor Neil Swannick, the executive member for environment, spoke regarding the positive impact the fibre broadband network project would have on the local community saying “If Manchester’s economy is to continue to grow then it is vital we have accessible and affordable super-fast broadband, based on the proven state-of-the-art capabilities of fibre and advanced wireless; this is what the Next Generation Digital City project aims to do.”

The distinct disadvantage UK broadband customers are at compared to the businesses and residents of the major cities in Europe was something he acknowledged saying “We know that other European cities which are competing directly with us, such a Amsterdam and Paris, are providing fibre directly into businesses and the home, at a fraction of the cost of anywhere in the UK.”

He added “Consumers and businesses then benefit by having reliable broadband at anything up to 1,000 times the speeds that are currently offered here. We believe that this will soon become a major competitive threat to Manchester and the UK as a whole.”

The next stage of the deployment will be to expand out to cover the areas surrounding, once the main foundations have been put in place for the fibre network. A rollout to the East Manchester area as well as the development of a new Internet Hub in the Central Park district will then begin.