Will BT plans spell the end of the broadband dream for remote communities?

According to a recent report plans by BT to exclude exchanges from its fibre network if there are fewer than one thousand customers could mean that many remote areas miss out.

It was recently reported that communications giant BT had launched its Race to Infinity consultation online, which provides a facility for the public to vote which exchanges in the country get upgraded to its high speed fibre based broadband network. This comes after BT decided that exchanges that had fewer than one thousand customers would be connected to the high speed service.

Some exchanges have already been earmarked for upgrades by BT, but there are others that could be added based on the level of demand in the areas. BT is allowing for five more exchanges to be selected for the upgrades based on the level of demand in the areas. A BT official said: “We’re trying to be more consultative in our approach to [the upgrades]. This is an opportunity for those that really want the upgrade to get to the front of the queue.”

With regards to excluding exchanges with fewer than one thousand customers BT stated: “We excluded exchanges below 1,000 customers, as these are more expensive to upgrade. We may look at other solutions for those areas. “He did add, however, that interest from exchange areas that currently had inadequate subscriber numbers would boost the chances of the company looking at other solutions for those areas in the future.

However, there are concerns that this could exclude the most remote communities, and officials have said that it is people that are in these areas that are often the most in need of broadband and are likely to most benefit.

Source – Computing