This week UK incumbent BT will connect its five millionth wholesale broadband customer, beating a target set by the company a year ahead of schedule. Broadband is now one of the fastest growing consumer products of all time with a higher take up rate than televisions, CD players, video recorders or mobile phones.

BT ceo Ben Verwaayen said: "Three years ago when we set a target of five million by 2006 it seemed a daunting task. To have reached this milestone so early into 2005 is a massive achievement for the whole industry. The momentum of broadband is continuing to build. The latest million connections have come in just four months, and BT is connecting a customer every ten seconds. But now the focus needs to move from broadband availability towards the ways in which broadband can improve people’s lives. At work through greater productivity, and at home by delivering a whole range of new services".

Citing various sources BT said it believed that if the Government and the industry kept working together, by 2007:

• the UK economy could be boosted by up to £7.5bn through productivity gains attributed to broadband;
• up to 16bn fewer miles could be driven as broadband enables more people to work from home and shop online;
• every school child in Britain will be able to learn via broadband;
• more than 18mn people in the UK will be shopping online;
• and millions of hospital outpatient appointments will be booked over broadband

The current UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP, added his congratulations saying: "It is great news for the whole communications industry that BT has been able to make this announcement a year ahead of target. It is also of vital importance for everyone in the UK - businesses and consumers. Broadband has the ability to transform the way we live our lives - whether in business, education or in how we use our leisure time. Most significantly of all, the adoption of broadband technology will enhance the UK's ability to compete in the modern knowledge economy".

According to BT more than 95% of UK homes and businesses are now connected to broadband-enabled exchanges and that figure will reach 99.6% by this summer, putting the UK ahead of any other G7 country in terms of DSL availability.

BT says Britain now has the most competitive market for broadband in the world. The 5mn connections are shared between more than 200 service providers with BT’s own retail arm having around 35% of the total DSL market. There are also an estimated 2mn cable broadband customers in the UK.

www.bt.com