BT urged to improve high-speed broadband in central London
Businesses have warned BT that problems with accessing superfast broadband in central London could harm the local economy.
Westminster Council has been campaigning for improvements to the local broadband infrastructure and has called upon BT to put the infrastructure in place faster. Less than 50% of residential and business properties in the area can access the faster broadband services provided either by Virgin or BT and a recent report claimed that the capital is being held back by the slow speeds. London currently sits in 26th place in the European capital city league table of broadband services.
The city only reaches half the speed available in Reykjavik and one-third of the speed available in Paris. BT has indicated that it will act if evidence of problems is presented and Westminster Council has established a website to gather the support it needs.
Local business leaders are supporting the council; for example, the chief executive of Carnaby Street and Chinatown landlord Shaftesbury, Brian Bickell, said that creativity could be stifled by the lack of faster broadband. Others have said that faster broadband is a necessity for the city, with growth and jobs both at risk.
BT claims that all Westminster businesses can access faster services via dedicated lines; however, it has admitted that some areas of central London with fewer residential properties may have issues when it comes to accessing the faster services. BT has also claimed that independent experts have labelled London “a world leader in terms of connectivity”, with PwC reporting that London is “technologically on the top of its game” and only surpassed by Seoul.