BT aims for 90 per cent broadband coverage in 2005

BT says that it will be able to provide broadband access to 90 per cent of households in the UK by mid-2005.

BT Retail chief executive Pierre Danon told the e-Summit this week that a combination of the telco's existing demand registration scheme and work with community partnership initiatives such as ACT NOW in Cornwall will provide the impetus for roll out of DSL to 80 per cent of the country.

Alternative technologies such as wireless and satellite will provide the additional 10 per cent connectivity.

The coverage will be provided by BT Wholesale through any broadband reseller.

'We think there is momentum and we are committed to it,' said Danon.

'We can reach 80 per cent availability in the UK with what we are doing on our own, and if a reasonably favourable environment is created we are in a position to take the UK to 90 per cent coverage.'

Danon also announced that BT will trial what it calls a 'midband' product from spring next year, offering always-on email, with fast internet access at up to 128kbs when needed. Danon says the service will be available quickly to 97% of the UK population.

The e-Summit also saw the launch of the Booz Allen Hamilton international benchmarking report looking at the online readiness of nine developed countries, which was sponsored by the government's Information Age Partnership.

The study focused on four areas - environment, government, citizens and business.

The report revealed that the UK missed the Prime Minister's target to be the best environment in the world for ecommerce by 2002, but said this country is second only to the US.

The UK's strengths are in the market, political environment, business and government readiness, and its weaknesses are citizen uptake and infrastructure, says the report.

The UK Online annual report was also released this week, and says the government hit its target for 6000 UK Online Centres by the end of this year. Some 45 per cent of UK households are now online, it says.

The world online leaders

Environment - US, UK, Canada

Citizen - US, Sweden Canada,

Business - US, Sweden

Government - Australia, Canada, Sweden, US

Source: Booz Allen Hamilton