TalkTalk are set to increase their own network by unbundling even more exchanges and giving them 90% coverage of the UK in the next year and to also get customers onto fibre broadband.
TalkTalk currently have 1700 exchanges in the UK unbundled and plan to add an extra 300 which would take them over 2000 in total around the UK.
On the TalkTlak blog it said the following:
“We’ve currently unbundled just over 1,700 phone exchanges around the UK, meaning that our customers near these exchanges are on our own fibre network rather than on BT’s legacy infrastructure. This gives us coverage for about 80% of the UK population but our aim is to increase this over the next year. We’re planning to unbundle a further 300 exchanges, taken us to over 2,000 in total, and pushing us to coverage of nearly 90% of the population.
We’re also upgrading the capacity of our network in anticipation of ever-higher internet usage. The industry expectation is that consumption of data online will increase by a whopping 50% year on year over the next few years. We’re enhancing our network to cope with this explosive rise in demand.
This upward trend is being boosted by the rise of online TV and video services like BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and, of course, YouTube. Soon these will be joined by Canvas, the online TV service we are a part of, which will provide an iPlayer-style catch-up service on your TV set, while also giving you additional content and features.”
Lats month TalkTalk also announced that all it’s customers would receive a free upgrade to their 24Mb broadband speeds offered by ADSL2+.
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TalkTalk the UK broadband provider could launch it’s own fibre broadband network according to Charles Dunstone, the Chief Executive of the Carphone Warehouse.
Mr Dunstone told the Financial Times that they are looking into the feasibility of TalkTalk launching it’s own fibre optic network possibly by even joining up with a rival broadband provider to fund install it.
The talk comes after it is believed that TalkTalk are one of the broadband providers who are not happy about the proposed agreement from BT Wholesale for using their new fibre network and claim that it does not give them enough scope for their own innovation.
BT are investing around £1.5bn in their new fibre optic network, and have called it BT Infinity and have already started rolling out and hope to have it available to 10 million UK homes by 2012.
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TalkTalk broadband are set to start trials of 40Mb fibre broadband in Muswell Hill (London) and in Whitchurch (Cardiff) that will start this month and run until January 2010.
With BT Openreach starting it’s installation of a next generation fibre network it allows other broadband providers to start offering the services made available on the BT network.
Those customers who will be on the fibre broadband trial via Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) will receive a new router and modem that will be able to handle the faster download speeds and also be given the Essential phone and Broadband package from TalkTalk free while they are taking part in the trial, although they will be required to pay the line rental charges. What’s more is that users as part of the trial will be given an unlimited download limit instead of the 40Gb limit they are usually limited to.
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