BT pledges ADSL2+ for a further 2.5 million

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The telecoms giant wants to bring better speeds to more homes across the UK, targeting rural areas in particular.

BT

BT today pledged to provide another 2.5 milion premises in the UK with advanced copper broadband lines.

The telecoms giant had already promised ADSL2+ for 20 million premises, but BT said it would now supply 90 per cent of the UK with these connections by Spring 2013.

Earlier today, Ofcom released figures highlighting the disparity between broadband speeds advertised by ISPs and the actual speeds customers were receiving.

The faster speeds will support the Government's aim of enhancing broadband speeds for both town and countryside.

BT said the "vast majority" of customers who sign up to the ADSL2+ service could expect to see their speeds increase, with many expected to see speeds "roughly double" what they were getting.

An additional 800 exchanges are set to go up, with half of those located in rural areas.

"This is a significant expansion of our roll out plan and is further proof of our commitment to serve rural areas," said

"The faster speeds will support the Government's aim of enhancing broadband speeds for both town and countryside."

There has been much discussion over how to improve broadband in remote areas. Some have suggested ADSL lines simply won't help, as once you get to the end of cables the connections are weak.

Therefore, satellites or so-called white spaces could be used to bring better connections to such areas of the UK. BT itself is involved in projects looking into these alternatives.

Nevertheless BT is determined to plough on with its copper line expansion across the UK, convinced it will help rural communities.

BT also recently committed to almost double the speed of its fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) based service in 2012.

Tom Brewster
Tom Brewster

Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.

He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.