Point Topic: UK fibre broadband lines to hit 10.8m in 2016

The number of fibre optic broadband lines in the UK is set to increase more than 20-fold over the next four years, according to Point Topic.

New research from the telecoms analyst firm predicted that there will be 10.8 million of these super-fast connections by the end of 2016, while the total number of broadband lines is expected to stand at 25.9 million by this time.

The study comes shortly after Ofcom revealed that just under two-thirds of UK households are now passed by fibre optic broadband networks.

Additionally, BT - the country's biggest internet service provider - recently announced that its national rollout of fibre broadband has brought the technology to ten million homes and businesses. By the end of 2014, the telecoms giant is looking to extend the service to 66 per cent of properties.

Point Topic went on to state that network operators providing an alternative to BT and Virgin Media - otherwise known as altnets - are starting to gain a footprint in the market.

Despite this, the company warned: "Not all altnets will be successful and questions remain concerning the long-term viability of alternative network operators as significant players in the country's super-fast broadband future."

May 23, 2012

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