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Openreach, the BT arm responsible for the network that connects the end-user to the exchange, believes that the Street Access service will have a number of uses. As well as providing high-speed internet connections, it could be used to run public information points, to provide remote telemetry such as traffic congestion monitoring, or to provide connectivity at sports events, music festivals and the like.

What it will not do is bypass the street and plug straight into the home or business; that has been explicitly ruled out.

The product comprises a fibre connection between a small unit hidden in any piece of street furniture and an internet service provider's own or leased BT hardware in the local exchange. The provider then has several options for selling this on. Wireless would appear the most obvious, but there is also the option of wired Ethernet or sub-loop unbundling

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to offer high-speed VDSL2 broadband.

Cheap connections

Thinkbroadband has calculated that if the service was shared between 30 users, the rental could be as little as £9.50 per month. That would appeal to business paying £200 for a symmetric (SDSL) 2Mb/sec connection. There are, however, limitations. The service is limited to a maximum fibre route length of 20km, so as is often the case, many rural areas will miss out.

Nonetheless, there is mounting evidence that the UK may soon begin to see the kind of high-speed broadband services that Stephen Timms, minister of state for competitiveness, recently said is "essential".

Tomorrow the telecoms regulator Ofcom will publish its proposals for "next generation access networks" which could put more pressure on BT to invest in fibre optics to increase network speeds.

BT has resisted this, arguing that any investment is makes will primarily benefit ISPs, who under current rules would have cheap access to the improved network without having had to bear the cost of the upgrade.

Instead it is introducing the 21st Century Network, which uses the existing copper network and ADSL2+ to raise broadband speeds in urban areas to a maximum of around 22Mb/sec, though the average will be much lower.

Last week the UK's cable provider, Virgin Media, announced trials of 50Mb/sec connections.