BT Openreach, the company primarily responsible for the rollout of superfast next gen broadband in the UK has been running into more than a few problems getting the actual cabinets set up. In the case of the installation in Middlewich last week these are sometimes technical problems; contractors managed to cut through an electricity cable which shut off the power for around 400 homes in the area as well as various businesses for more than a few hours.
But technical issues aside, It’s the cabinets that people are having problem with. Unlike cable, mobile broadband or other internet without phone line services, BT has to use fairly large cabinets to maintain this new network, and the positioning of these has lead with resistance from conservation groups in the past. Some groups in Brighton have this week joined residents from both Muswell Hill and St. Albans in complaining about the cabinets and their positioning.
A letter sent to BT from the conservation groups stated:
“There is no doubt we have to move with the times and that we need super-fast broadband, especially in a vibrant city like Brighton. Having said that, I’m not convinced the solution put forward by BT is the right and proper one. We are not saying no – we just want to be consulted.”
The new installations will allow customers to access the net at speed of up to 40 Mbps, although BT suggest this would rise to 60 Mbps in the future. The technology relies on using fibre optic cable right up to the BT cabinets which would then be distributed by more traditional copper wire into the home. It’s not as a fast as directly putting a fibre into a house, but for BT it makes much more business sense and the initial prices we’ve seen about the service will be put it amongst one of the best broadband deals around.
Hopefully BT will be able to find a better mix of communication with local communities and the placement in these cabinets to avoid such PR problems in the future. Those who can’t wait for superfast fibre optic broadband should check out Virgin Broadband reviews as the only cable company around that offers such services currently.