More than 278,000 more Cheshire and Greater Manchester Homes set to join the super-fast broadband highway in major BT investment. 

374,000 more North West communities will get super-fast broadband including an additional 23 in Greater Manchester and Cheshire

BT announced today that a further 374,000 homes and businesses in the North West, including more than 278,000 in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, are to benefit from its £1.5 billion plans for super-fast broadband.  This includes more than 53,000 homes and businesses served by the Chester Central, North and South exchanges.

Today’s announcement signals the biggest phase of the UK–wide project to date with 34 exchanges to be upgraded in the North West between autumn 2010 and summer 2011.  They include the Greater Manchester and Cheshire communities of: Alsager, Astley Bridge, Chester (Central, North and South exchanges), Hartford, Haslington, Hulme Hall, Littleborough, Lymm, Macclesfield, Middlewich, Northwich, Penketh, Ramsbottom, Rochdale, Sale, Sandbach, Stepping Hill, Stockton Heath, Tottington, Whitefield and Winsford.

This latest phase builds on the 335,000 North West lines due to be upgraded by this summer, which have already been announced – and will take the total number of super-fast fibre-based lines in the region to around 709,000.  Across the UK, more than 300 new super-fast broadband locations are announced today. The technology will be available on an open, wholesale basis to all companies providing broadband services. 

It is the latest chapter in BT’s longer-term programme to make super-fast fibre-based broadband available to at least 40% of the UK – or some 10 million homes – by summer 2012.  Four million premises will have been connected by the end of 2010 in the largest single commercial investment in fibre-based broadband ever undertaken in the UK.

Super-fast broadband offers much faster download speeds of up to 40Mb/s, potentially rising to 60Mb/s, and upstream speeds of 10Mb/s, with the chance of rising to 15Mb/s giving customers greater flexibility in how they use the internet, including much easier uploads of photos and videos.  These speeds also offer businesses major advantages, including new services and more sophisticated communications, such as high-quality videoconferencing.

BT’s fibre plans build on existing initiatives such as its pioneering 21st Century Network (21CN), which has already placed faster speeds within reach of more than half of UK homes using the existing copper network.  Mike Blackburn, BT’s North West regional director, said: “Our major investment in super-fast fibre-based broadband combined with the roll-out of BT’s 21st Century Network is giving this region the sophisticated technology to help it prosper in the future.  Faster broadband continues to change the way we live and work, offering tremendous business, educational and entertainment opportunities for firms and households.  BT would also like to roll-out the fibre networks to parts of the UK where the economics are more challenging and where some public funding will be required.  We are, of course, very open to holding discussions with public sector organisations, such as regional development agencies and local councils, on how this could be achieved.”

Steve Robertson, chief executive of Openreach, the division of BT responsible for the roll-out, said: “Millions of homes and businesses will benefit from this investment in fibre technology.  We are proud to be at the forefront of deploying fibre in the UK, and because, unlike other companies, we’re making it available to all communications providers, people will have a choice of fibre broadband supplier.”

The super-fast speeds are more than enough to run multiple bandwidth-hungry applications at the same time.  For example, some members of a family could be watching different high definition (HD) movies, while others are gaming or working on complex graphics or video projects. Music tracks could be downloaded in less than five seconds.

For businesses, the new network will underpin the introduction of many new services and applications.  Computer processing and storage of files will become more sophisticated and secure using ‘cloud computing’ technology.   There will be faster back-up of computer systems and wider use of high quality videoconferencing within firms and between them and their customers.

While BT estimates that the great majority of premises in these areas will be able to access fibre-based broadband, it is likely that a minority in the area will not initially be able to receive services due to a variety of technical and commercial reasons. Openreach is actively looking at alternative solutions for these locations.

For a copy of the full press release click here