The Superfast Cornwall project won its fourth international award last night (Tuesday, June 4).
The broadband partnership between the EU, BT and Cornwall Council, was recognised at the Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards in London for its “world-leading” trial of hyper-fast broadband.
Truro firm Arcol UK Ltd was the test site for the ‘proof of concept’ trial, which used new fibre optic technology called XGPON developed by electronics company ZTE in partnership with Openreach, BT’s local network business.
The trial used the new fibre network to demonstrate speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) – more than 100 times faster than even most forms of superfast broadband.
Ranulf Scarbrough, Superfast Cornwall programme director for BT, said: “This latest award demonstrates, once again, the pioneering nature of Superfast Cornwall.
“Not only is the partnership making a major contribution to the future success of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by rolling out high-speed broadband communications to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, it is also pushing the technical boundaries and showing what can be achieved by this exciting technology.”
Nigel Ashcroft, programme director of Superfast Cornwall for Cornwall Development Company, Cornwall Council’s economic development company, added: “It is particularly pleasing that the hyper-fast broadband trial in Truro has been recognised in this way.
“The record-breaking speeds achieved show the future potential of the fibre optic network. Superfast Cornwall is creating a legacy, which will be of benefit to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for many decades to come.”
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