Poles apart
Virgin Media definitely has the upper-hand of BT when it comes to broadband speed these days, with 100 mbps expected to be on offer next year while BT still struggles to offer 40 mbps. But one distinct advantage BT still has is the extent of its coverage - especially in rural areas.
The less densely populated an area, the lower ROI you get from digging up the pavement and laying fibre-optic cable underground, so Virgin has started a trial using telegraph poles to get its infrastructure to rural homes in the Berkshire village of Woolhampton.
Virgin reckons this method has the potential to extend its coverage to at least a million extra homes. It's estimated there are around 25 million homes in the UK and Virgin Media currently reaches around half that number. Virgin has also pledged to extend its regular network by around half a million homes.
Neil Berkett, chief executive officer of Virgin Media, said: "This unique trial will allow us to understand the possibilities of aerial deployment and may provide an exciting new way to extend next generation broadband services," said Virgin CEO Neil Berkett. "With everything from BBC iPlayer to YouTube increasingly demanding reliable ultrafast broadband speeds, we're keen to ensure that all communities, in towns, cities and villages right across the UK, stand to benefit."
If this trial proves a success it will be yet further evidence that the government doesn't need to chuck a billion quid at BT in order to get high speed broadband to rural areas. Once more the private sector is demonstrating it's doing just fine by itself. All that's needed is a relaxation of planning regulations to allow telegraph poles to be used for this purpose.
