BT's first fibre optic exchanges

BT has announced the locations of its first local telephone exchanges to be upgraded to fibre optic technology.

The 29 exchanges will support FTTC (Fibre-to-the-Cabinet) broadband connections which could deliver speeds of around 40Mbps to homes, BT said, and mark the next step in BT's plans to roll out a fibre-optic broadband network.

Only two of the exchanges, Calder Valley and Taffs Well, are in what would be considered rural areas, with the other 27 located in densely populated urban areas.

Eight of the exchanges are in the London area, with six in Greater Manchester.

Three exchanges in Scotland will get the new technology, two in Wales, and only the Belfast Balmoral exchange in Northern Ireland.

Steve Robertson, chief executive of BT Openreach said: “We have worked very closely with industry and with local and regional authorities to choose these sites. We are in discussions with many other authorities so expect many similar announcements in the months to come.

The Country, Land and Business Association (CLA), which campaigns for better broadband access in rural areas, cautiously welcomed the news.

"The CLA welcomes the roll out by BT, it is a start – a small start. We need a lot more investment to all rural areas not just these few selected sites," the CLA's Dr Charles Trotman said. spokesman told Web User.

"However, it broadens the divide between those who will enjoy the new speeds and those in many rural areas who cannot get fast internet connections. It is simply unacceptable that the countryside is being ignored when so much investment is going into providing super-fast broadband for cities," he continued.

Trials of FTTC technology were run in Muswell Hill in London and Whitchurch in Glamorgan last October.

FTTC involves running fibre optic lines from the local exchange to the street 'cabinets' in an area, meaning that the last stretch of the connection still relies on the existing communications network, usually consisting of copper wiring.

FTTH (Fibre-to-the-Home) involves using fibre-optic technology all the way from the telephone exchange to a house, and is theoretically capable of speeds of up to 100Mbps.