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Walsall in frame for fibre revolution
1Gbps for the Black Country

By Jo Best

Published: Tuesday 23 January 2007

The Black Country could be the first region in the UK to see a large-scale rollout of fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology, following a decision by the area's regeneration company to investigate the possibilities of fibre optic cabling.

Walsall Urban Regeneration Company has employed consultants to come up with a business plan for FTTP deployment, to be ready by the end of March, as part of a larger plan to regenerate the area.

The plan will examine the business case for the technology and how investment could be raised to deploy it.

As part of the scheme new houses and offices would be built that could be equipped with the fibre optic technology, which could deliver symmetrical speeds of 1Gbps.

David Brown, chairman of consultancy Schema which will be working on the business case for the rollout, told silicon.com it's hoped new businesses will be attracted to the area by the next generation technology.

He said: "We have to equip the area for more modern industries to come here... [It's hoped] there will be more IT capabilities locally - there isn't an internet hosting set up within scores of miles."

While the rollout will initially concentrate on specific areas under redevelopment, Brown said the plan will examine the possibility of extending FTTP to residents. "Hopefully, we can spread the benefit to the other population through a series of upgrades," he added.