Talktalk announces a fibre optic upgrade

BROADBAND PROVIDER Talktalk has opened the registration process for punters to upgrade to superfast broadband.

Dubbed the Fibre Optic Boost, the 40Mbps Talktalk service is due to roll out over BT's telco infrastructure in the next few months. The company still hasn't announced its pricing tariffs for superfast broadband customers but has offered a registration process online.

Like BT's fibre optic broadband Infinity package, the service is postcode lottery dependant so you need to add your address online. If you do fall into Talktalk's planned upgrade area, it will offer to get you hooked up.

"The installation process is straight forward as an engineer will make a home visit to get the connection up and running," said Talktalk commercial director Tristia Clarke.

"We expect this boost to be very popular and will be aiming to make it available to as many people as possible," she added.

Broadband Internet providers have been chomping at the bit to announce their own fibre optic provisioning packages since BT was forced by Ofcom to open up its poles, ducts and loops.

The day after BT unbundled its monopolised loop for the competition, Talktalk and Virgin Media announced fibre optic packages but didn't actually have anything to offer. It's now up to BT and the other Internet service providers to get their acts together if they are going to meet the government's pledge to roll out fibre optic lines to two-thirds of the nation by 2015.

In other loop news, BT's local access network division Openreach announced draft proposals for sharing its ducts and poles. After getting gummed into compliance by the mostly toothless Ofcom, BT has had to put together a plan to offer access to superfast broadband enabling infrastructure like telephone poles and underground ducts to the competition.

"Openreach is proposing that the price for communications providers renting space in its underground ducts will be from £0.95 per metre, per annum," BT said in a statement. "A range of ancillary services and prices will also apply, giving communication providers flexibility in providing a fibre broadband service via Openreach's duct infrastructure."

BT's grudging launch of competitor access to its infrastructure is expected this coming summer. µ