BT have confirmed that 142 cabinets in Westminster will be upgraded to fibre connection in the next two years, following a campaign by Westminster Conservatives.
BT, through their Openreach subsidiary, control the infrastructure which enables companies to offer services over the network. This upgrade will mean that customers of other internet service providers (ISPs) could also benefit. Lead Member for Broadband and Connectivity Jonathan Glanz said: “We have been encouraging improvement across the city to cope with the huge likely future increase in the need for capacity. We have also been working with other providers who create solutions involving fibre to the individual buildings where flats and offices can then get speeds of 1GB per second.”
The improvements to the infrastructure by BT should enable some 40,000 additional homes in Westminster to achieve improved internet speeds over the existing network, which relies on copper wire to deliver to individual properties. Jonathan said: “We will continue to lobby BT to ensure that such a connection will be sufficient for the future. BT are the only company in the country who continue to invest in a product delivered by copper wire. We are lobbying for them to do more to introduce direct fibre connections to our homes and businesses.”
Westminster has large numbers of small and medium sized businesses which need cost effective , better and faster connectivity to continue to create employment and profit. We also have many residents who are unable to enjoy the full benefits of the internet and feel left behind when they look at services offered elsewhere in London or internationally.
The work is expected to be completed during 2016 and 2017 and could be capable of increasing speeds to up to 80MB per second. This is faster than current BT connections, but Westminster Conservatives will continue to work with BT and others to ensure that Westminster businesses and residents have the necessary infrastructure to ensure that London can maintain its position as a world class city with world class connectivity.
