All stations go for Manchester’s 100Mb fibre optic broadband

Manchester City Council has announced the new Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband network put together for proposal last year is set to start being installed at the end of this month.

Work will begin in the Oxford Road area of Manchester within the next few weeks. It is claimed that the new network will provide residents and businesses with speeds up to 1,000 times faster than any other service currently offered in the area, although if other FTTP networks are anything to go by then the maximum speed realistically will stand at around ‘up to’ 100Mbps.

Speaking on the fibre broadband network project and the positive impact it will have on the local community, executive member for environment, Councillor Neil Swannick said: “If Manchester’s economy is to continue to grow then it is vital we have accessible and affordable super-fast broadband, based on the proven state-of-the-art capabilities of fibre and advanced wireless; this is what the Next Generation Digital City project aims to do.”

He also acknowledged UK broadband customers are at a distinct advantage compared to residents and businesses in other major European cities: We know that other European cities which are competing directly with us, such a Amsterdam and Paris, are providing fibre directly into businesses and the home, at a fraction of the cost of anywhere in the UK.

“Consumers and businesses then benefit by having reliable broadband at anything up to 1,000 times the speeds that are currently offered here. We believe that this will soon become a major competitive threat to Manchester and the UK as a whole.”

Once the foundations for the fibre network have been put into place, the next stage will be to expand installation to cover surrounding areas. This will begin with a rollout to the East Manchester area along with the development of a new Internet Hub in the Central Park district.