Fibre broadband available to 15% of population

Approximately 15 per cent of the British population are able to make use of fibre broadband services at the moment.

An article by Independent columnist Chiara Cavaglieri explained the superfast broadband service makes use of fibre optic cables.

These connect up with street-side cabinets and then use standard copper telephone lines to enter into customers' homes.

Ms Cavaglieri noted that a recent Ofcom study had highlighted the benefits of fibre broadband, with Virgin Media's services using this technology delivering between 90 and 96 per cent of its advertised 'up to' speeds.

Meanwhile, the regulator also found BT Infinity's fibre-to-the-cabinet service also performed better than its ADSL packages.

Last week, Malcolm Corbett, chief executive officer of the Independent Networks Cooperative Association, wrote in the Guardian that the principles of the Big Society currently being promoted by the government could result in an increased roll-out of fibre broadband networks across the country.