BT Fibre Cabinets Prompt Brighton Backlash

BT have landed themselves in hot water over their "monster" fibre cabinets, this time in sunny Brighton.

Objections to fibre cabinets in Muswell Hill - where some of BT's first FFTC services were trialled in 2008 - resulted in about 20 being moved at the end of last year.

Complaints were also registered against BT broadband in St Albans earlier this year.

Five Brighton conservation societies have objected to the plans, though they emphasise that

Stephen Neiman, of The Regency Society, commented: "There is no doubt we have to move with the times and that we need super-fast broadband, especially in a vibrant city like Brighton.

"Having said that, I'm not convinced the solution put forward by BT is the right and proper one. We are not saying no - we just want to be consulted."

"...we are committed to working with local authorities to minimise the visual impact of the new street cabinets, and have done this successfully in other conservation areas," said a spokesman from BT.

Faster broadband

The newest BT cabinets are essential for delivery of the fastest broadband services.

The FTTC (Fibre-to-the-Cabinet) boxes deliver fibre to the street level, though the vital 'last mile' (from the cabinet to the home) is not fibre but copper cable.

BT are planning to roll the cabinets out over two thirds of their national network by 2015.

Here are the locations of the proposed Brighton sites, with those that on first glance we think may be problematic highlighted in pink.

View Proposed BT Fibre Cabinet Locations in a larger map.

Comments