Jersey and Guernsey could see faster internet access

Jersey Telecom plan to launch gigabit broadband by 2016

Jersey Telecom hope that the channel islands will have the world's fastest broadband by 2016.

It is investing more than £40m over the next five years and will replace all of Jersey's copper cables with fibre.

The company also plans to roll out fibre optic broadband to Guernsey as part of their Gigabit Isles programme.

It hopes the investment will allow them to offer home customers broadband speeds of 1gb and higher within five years.

Graeme Millar, Jersey Telecom chief executive officer, said they have already replaced their core data network with fibre.

He told BBC Jersey: "The core network, we have a super high way of fibre around the island, although it is maybe 20% of our network it carries 80% of our traffic and we've already converted that to fibre.

"What we are now looking at is the last mile to people's houses, that is what we need to deal with next."

The Jersey government-owned company has already spent nearly £30m over the past eight years upgrading links to France and the UK as well as making their core network fibre.

This means they are already able to offer businesses in the island 10gb connections.

They think they will need to spend an extra £40m over five years to deliver 1gb connections to all home customers, but some will be able to get that speed this year.

Mr Millar said that the investment will be of benefit to the island as a whole.

There are currently over 80% of homes in Jersey with broadband access and Jersey Telecom plan to make sure anyone wanting a broadband connection can get at least 2mb.