BT plan puts 300Mbps in apartment blocks

BT Openreach is calling for apartment owners to join a pilot project that will eventually bring broadband download speeds of up to 300Mbps to residents.

Openreach said it was looking for around 1,000 apartment buildings that are within the company's current fibre deployment footprint to take part in the trial.

"Participants will gain access to Openreach's fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) technology which delivers super-fast broadband speeds. End-users will initially have access to downstream speeds of up to 100Mbps, but these will rise to give users the option of up to 300Mbps in the spring of this year," BT Openreach said in a statement.

The winning apartment blocks will be chosen on the basis of registered demand, the co-operation of landlords and the economics of deployment, BT said.

"Identifying the appropriate individuals and companies with the authority to formally grant permission for the apartment blocks can be challenging. By allowing both landlords and residents to register interest, Openreach aims to allow the latter to demonstrate demand for the service and the former to make their building more attractive to future potential residents," BT said.

The company said it had already been conducting early trials of up to 300Mbps FTTP connections and was now looking for registrations of interest from landlords and residents in the Canary Wharf area of London.

The scheme is a part of BT's £2.5bn pledge to provide two-thirds of the UK's premises with super-fast connections by 2014.

The UK government is also offering cash to local councils — that can secure matched-funding — for broadband infrastructure improvements through its Broadband Delivery UK scheme.

However, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, said that he would take back BDUK funding if broadband contracts are not in place before the end of the year.