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Openreach (BT) has today revealed that their roll-out of a new 1.8Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network in Cardiff (Wales) has reached 140,000 premises (i.e. around 80% of properties across the city). The build is still very much ongoing, although less than two in five who could upgrade to the new network have done so.
The network operator, which has previously stated that their average per premises build cost continues to hover around the £280 mark across the UK (roughly £1.2bn per year), said that work is still ongoing to expand their FTTP network both in and around the city. Some of the most active areas of build include Llanishen, Pentyrch, Creigiau, Llanrumney, Llandaff, Penarth, Taff’s Well, Culverhouse Cross, Dinas Powys and Llanedeyrn.
The new service, once live, can be ordered via various ISPs, such as BT, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk, Vodafone and many more (Openreach FTTP ISP Choices) – it is not currently an automatic upgrade, although some providers have started to do free automatic upgrades as older copper-based services and lines are slowly withdrawn.
Martin Williams, Openreach Partnership Director for Wales, said: “We believe that this new network will give businesses an edge and provide families and home-workers with future-proof connectivity. Openreach is committed to delivering a great service that helps the community thrive, supports people to work from home easily, and keeps them connected to loved ones and opportunities.”
However, it’s worth reminding readers that Openreach aren’t the only gigabit broadband network in Cardiff, with Virgin Media (inc. nexfibre), Ogi, Elevate (formerly Telcom), Hyperoptic, OFNL / Fibrenest and the community orientated Michaelston-y-Fedw CIC project also being present (some only with limited coverage).