O2 plans to invest in super-fast broadband

O2 plans to invest in super-fast broadband Following BT’s announcement last week that it will lay down a £1.5billion fibre-optic network to enable super-fast broadband in Britain, communications giant O2 has said it will also invest in ultra-fast broadband, provided that Ofcom changes certain regulations.

Currently Ofcom requires that market-dominating networks be opened up to competitors, which O2 claims could affect the amount that large companies are prepared to invest. If the regulations are changed, O2 could be offering broadband at speeds of 100Mbps by 2012.

“We need clear and unambiguous regulation in place before we start shelling out huge sums of money,” said an O2 spokesperson.

BT has also been pushing for changes in the regulations for some time now, as have a number of Internet Service Providers.

A spokesperson for Virgin Media said: “We strongly support BT’s call for a stable regulatory environment that rewards both current and future investment. We will continue working closely with Ofcom and the government to achieve this.”

Of all the UK ISPs, O2 Broadband currently boast the fastest average downstream speeds of around 5.39Mbps.

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