Cornwall gets more subsidised ADSL exchanges

Lucky them

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in Telecoms, 29th January 2003 09:52 GMT

Free webcast: Service level monitoring and management

BT is to upgrade four more exchanges in St Ives, Bude, Saltash and Penryn as part of a subsidised project to bring broadband to Cornwall. The exchanges are to be converted to ADSL by February 3.

Critically, though, BT reckons the Actnow scheme - announced a year ago with £12.5m in public and private finance - is proving to be a success.

And the monster telco is keen to adopt the scheme elsewhere in the country where it claims investment in ADSL is not commercially viable. Its own research shows that demand for broadband in Cornwall is almost double that compared with other rural locations in the UK.

In nine months, broadband penetration in those Cornish exchanges that have been converted to ADSL as part of Actnow has reached 2.65 per cent. BT claims other rural exchanges elsewhere in the country have taken on average 15 months to reach the same level of penetration.

Almost 3,000 businesses and households have ordered ADSL in Cornwall since Actnow went live nine months ago with demand running at around 90 orders a week. ®

Cornwall gets even more broadband
Cornwall online OK
Cornwall gets DSL

Free webcast: Service level monitoring and management