C&W Launches Next Generation Broadband In London
Cable giant ntl has announced the first stage in its £190 million investment in next generation broadband networks over the next three years, equipping the heart London with a high-speed, IP-based infrastructure to allow voice telephony, higher speed broadband, video, multimedia applications, as well as new services in the future.
The high speed network promises to dwarf the capacity of today’s broadband lines, with the capital’s residents and key decision makers in Government and business able to access a new generation of advanced services.
The new network will be enabled by seven ‘metro nodes’ at Acton, Hammersmith, Battersea, Westminster, Deptford, Poplar and Camden, covering an area currently served by 100 BT exchanges.
Cable & Wireless’ chief technology officer, Paul Buttery, described the new network as a “milestone for the UK’s telecoms industry,” claiming the development “underpins continued rapid expansion into the future.”
He said: “Cable & Wireless is dedicated to pushing the boundaries to ensure we provide our advanced portfolio of IP services for customers.”
The first users of the new network will be thousands of customers of Bulldog Broadband, who already have some of the nation’s fastest services, up to 8 megabit. The new network can support higher volumes of traffic and new services, as well as increased broadband speeds, allowing downloads of music tracks to be measured in seconds rather than minutes and for viewing feature films.
May saw Britain revealed to be on track to top the league of broadband-enabled G7 nations by the end of the year, with figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing that the availability of Britain’s broadband network far outstripped any other nation.
While the UK currently lags behind other developed countries, such as Japan, in terms of ultra-high-speed access, the latest move by Cable & Wireless could go some way to kick start development of next generation networks by rival providers.
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