Sky and TalkTalk to join forces to create new ultra-fast broadband

RIVAL TV and telecoms firms BSkyB and TalkTalk are joining forces to build their own fibre optic network offering ultra-fast broadband services.

00:01, Wed, Apr 16, 2014

sky, bskyb, british sky broadcasting, talktalk, join, together, broadband, ultra-fast, networks, rivals, city fibre The Sky television offices in Osterley, west London[PA]

They have teamed up with network specialist City Fibre to develop a citywide system serving York.

And they plan to develop similar networks in two other cities as they step up their challenge to existing network provider BT.

CityFibre has 29,000km of cable in 56 towns and cities, including a “backbone” of 110km in York from which it plans to connect up to 85,000 homes.

This trial will help us to understand the potential for cutting-edge technology
Sky executive Stephen van Rooyen

Its shares jumped 8óp to 78óp.

Technology provider Fujitsu will install the “fibre-to-thepremises” (FTTP) network which is capable of speeds of 1 gigabit.

Sky and TalkTalk will run competing broadband services over the new cables, with the first customers expected to be connected in 2015.

Sky executive Stephen van Rooyen commented: “This trial will help us to understand the potential for cutting-edge technology to help us give customers an even better quality of service and we’re looking forward to working in partnership with TalkTalk and CityFibre.”