Communications giant British Telecom has announced that it plans to invest in superfast broadband for over ten million homes by 2012

Over recent months there has been a great deal of news relating to the lack of advanced technology in relation to superfast broadband in the UK, with officials claiming that the UK is lagging behind many other countries when it comes to superfast broadband based on fibre optic networks. However, a recent announcement from BT shows that some communications giants are prepared to invest in the future of broadband.

BT has stated that it plans to roll out superfast broadband via fibre based networks to up to ten million homes by 2012. The programme is expected to cost around one and a half billion pounds, but consumers will be able to enjoy speeds of up to 100Mbps, in the same way as many other countries such as Japan already do.

The chief executive of BT said: “Broadband has boosted the UK economy and is now an essential part of our customers’ lives. We now want to make a step-change in broadband provision which will offer faster speeds than ever before. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in Britain’s broadband story.”

He added: “This is a bold step by BT and we need others to be just as bold. We are keen to partner with people who share our vision for the next phase of the broadband revolution. We want to work with local and regional bodies to decide where and when we should focus the deployment. Our aim is that urban and rural areas alike will benefit from our investment”.

Reports suggest that BT is to enter into talks with the communications regulator Ofcom in order to ensure the smooth progression of this programme. The firm needs to discuss ossies such as current barriers that are in place with regards to investment and the matter of ensuring a fair return for shareholders in the company.