IT Jobs boost as BT announces significant broadband roll-out

BT is set to employ 520 new people in IT jobs to help with its plans to speed up its superfast broadband rollout. 

It has announced by the end of 2014, one year ahead of its original target of 2015, it will bring fibre broadband to two-thirds of the UK at a cost of £300 million.

The new engineers will install fibre broadband across the UK and help to bring the number of premises with the technology to ten million in 2012.

"BT's accelerated fibre roll-out plan is great news for the UK," said culture secretary Jeremy Hunt. "With access to superfast broadband UK businesses will have the infrastructure they need to grow and develop new products and services.

"This investment means new jobs today, but also allows us to build the digital infrastructure we need for the jobs of tomorrow."

Ian Livingston, CEO of BT Group said: "Thousands of our engineers are busy installing fibre broadband across the UK at an astonishing pace. The recruitment of an additional five hundred engineers will help us go even faster and ensure we are ready to help supply other areas should we win BDUK funds. We are proud that most of these jobs will be filled by ex-armed forces personnel."

The acceleration will put the UK towards having the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015. The widespread availability of super-fast broadband is expected to help stimulate the UK economy.