Dorset business chief questions lack of fibre broadband access

BT has come in for criticism from an East Dorset business owner who is frustrated at the telecoms giant's decision to exclude local industrial estates from its fibre optic broadband rollout.

The company's super-fast broadband service went live in the Ferndown area last year and was initially hailed as a major positive for businesses, but Applied Relay Testing managing director Brian Frost expressed his frustration that it is not available at the Ferndown Industrial Estate.

Mr Frost is concerned that this lack of business connectivity may force councils to shell out in order for fibre optic infrastructure to be installed in their area, reports the Bournemouth Echo.

"I feel that this could be a cynical action," he commented. "I cannot see any technical reason why they should not be providing this broadband, so it seems that there must be a commercial drive."

Applied Relay Testing currently receives speeds of around 6Mbps, but BT's Infinity fibre broadband service offers headline downstream rates that are more than 20 times faster than this.