Fibre broadband key to Digital Agenda target, says expert

Fibre optic broadband has been backed as the best way for European nations to meet the minimum speed targets set in the Digital Agenda.

Under the European Commission's plans, 50 per cent of the continent's citizens must be able to access a 100Mbps service, with a minimum of 30Mbps available to everyone.

In his opening address at the Fibre To The Home (FTTH) Conference in Milan, president of FTTH Council Europe Chris Holden said the technology is the ideal choice to meet this demand for bandwidth.

According to the telecoms expert, an increasing number of people are asking the organisation how they can deploy fibre, rather than why they should.

"Our networks are at a crossroads," Mr Holden remarked. "We can go in several different directions, but only fibre guarantees the infrastructure of the future."

His comments come shortly after TalkTalk and Sky announced plans to work on a joint trial of FTTH in north-west London, with the cost of the initiative being split between the two companies.