LONDON -- Openreach, BT’s local network business, today announced that it will more than double the speeds available over its ultrafast Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network, boosting the maximum download speeds available from 330 megabits per second (Mbps) to up to one gigabit per second (Gbps).

The company’s wholesale FTTP network is the largest of its kind in the UK – passing more than 327,000 homes and businesses – and it is open under the same prices, terms and conditions to any Communications Provider (CP) company.

The new faster services will be available to homes and businesses across the entire FTTP network, which will double in size over the next 12 months and reach up to two million premises by the end of 2020. The upgrades are part of a plan to make ultrafast speeds available to up to 12 million UK premises in the same timeframe, using a mix of fibre technologies.

Openreach will launch two additional wholesale products over FTTP on 6 December 2016, including a new up to 500Mbps product – with an upload speed of up to 165 Mbps – and an up to 1Gbps option with an upload speed of up to 220Mbps. The company believes that these new products will be of particular interest to small and medium businesses. The complete FTTP portfolio will range from up to 40/2Mbps, available from £15.29 per calendar month (wholesale), up to 1Gbps/220Mbps, available from £80.00 per calendar month (wholesale).

BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA)