Fluidata warns Olympics may delay fibre broadband installations

Fibre optic broadband installations are set to be affected by an embargo on roadworks in areas covered by the London Olympic Route Network (ORN), Fluidata has warned.

The business internet service provider revealed the temporary ban will take effect from March 1st 2012 and run until September 30th, potentially creating a backlog of orders and resulting in delays to fibre broadband connections.

A further embargo on the rest of the ORN and the majority of other roads in central London will be implemented on July 1st, meaning customers that want fibre optic broadband access before the Olympics will need to place orders with Openreach by the end of May.

"This will impact most streets within the north and south circular and some areas of Greater London," Fluidata explained.

Just one per cent of roads in the capital are included in the ORN, which has been created following the success of similar schemes at the Sydney, Athens, Beijing and Vancouver Olympics.