Availability of fastest broadband service to be doubled by BT

Major internet service provider (ISP) BT has announced it is to dramatically increase the availability of its fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology.

Around 2.5 million homes and businesses throughout the UK will be able to access broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second, enabling them to benefit from faster download speeds and potentially more efficient use of VoIP hardware.

The new figure represents over double BT's original roll-out target, with the technology involving feeding fibre optic cabling directly to consumers' homes, rather than to cabinets in the street.

Steve Robertson, chief executive officer of Openreach, the part of BT that rolls out the technology, said: "This development shows that we are determined to bring world-leading broadband speeds to UK homes and businesses. Service providers have asked us for more FTTP and so we have listened to them."

BT recently announced it is investing £1.5 billion in the development of next-generation networks throughout the UK and the ISP faces stiff competition from rivals including Virgin Media, which already offers a 50 megabits-per-second service.