Brighton and Hove to benefit from '˜ultrafast' broadband pilot

Thousands of people living in parts of Brighton and Hove will be among the first in the country to benefit from a new ultrafast broadband network being built by Openreach.
Openreach said it was 'a real coup' for Brighton to be part of the rolloutOpenreach said it was 'a real coup' for Brighton to be part of the rollout
Openreach said it was 'a real coup' for Brighton to be part of the rollout

The city is among 26 new locations across the UK to pilot the latest G.fast technology, as part of the national rollout of ultrafast internet to 12 million homes and businesses by 2020.

Download speeds of up to 330Mbps – about ten times the UK average – will be available to thousands of homes and businesses in the local area later this year. People using it will be able to download a two hour HD film in just 90 seconds, a 45 minute HD TV show in just 16 seconds, and a nine hour audio book in just three seconds.

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Mark Spells, Openreach’s director for regional infrastructure delivery for the South East, said: “This is great news for Brighton and Hove. It’s a real coup for the city to be at the forefront of the rollout of ultrafast broadband. Now we’ve identified this latest group of pilot locations, engineers will begin installing the new network. It will take a few months before people are able to use it.”

Peter Bell, director for network solutions and operations for Openreach, said: “G.fast is the key to unlocking ultrafast speeds for millions of people across the UK in the next few years. BT has a long history of pushing the boundaries in telecommunications, from way back in the earliest days of the electric telegraph, right through to today’s global fibre networks. We’re a world leader in fibre innovation and this is the next stage in our story.

“The UK is ahead of its major European neighbours when it comes to broadband and we’re doing everything we can to anticipate and meet changing customer demands. The development of G.fast technology is a key part of moving the UK from superfast to ultrafast broadband speeds as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

Nicholas Sheppard, sales and marketing manager of Brighton-based OptaNet, said: “Ultrafast broadband and the products that deliver it - G.fast and FTTP, will help accelerate business growth in Brighton and Hove, leading to the adoption of high quality, low cost related services, such as IP surveillance, cloud hosting and VoIP telephony. Almost 40,000 premises in the city will be able to receive one of the two products by the end of the year, giving those businesses an advantage over their competitors elsewhere in the UK.”

To see if you can get ultrafast internet contact OptaNet on 01273 646 600 or visit: www.optanet.com/ultrafast/