BT broadband customers suffering at hands of cable thieves
By Brian Palmer (Mon, 26th July 2010)
BT Broadband customers could have experienced some disruption in the past 12 months as more criminals have been stealing the copper wires used by the company.
The telecommunications firm is launching a new initiative to tackle the number of incidents related to the crime, which increased nine per cent in the last year, using a technology called SmartWater.
According to the company, the solution stains thieves with an invisible forensic mark that remains for up to 60 days, and could help stop people taking the wires vital to keeping broadband services intact.
BT's Openreach division has been working with police and has so far succeeded in arresting up to 200 people.
Bernie Auguste, head of security at Openreach, said: "Cable theft affects not only us as a business, but the millions of people who rely on access to phones and broadband across the UK, and with the help of this technology we're fighting back."
He added that the new solution will help to "trace [criminals], and any stolen cable or equipment, back to the scene of the crime".
ZDNet UK recently reported that Virgin Media is currently working on a future roll-out of a 400Mbps service, which would be the fastest speed available in the UK by four times.
The company said that every one of its customers will be eligible for the product, although hinted that it may not be offering the service for quite some time.
Are you having problems with BT's broadband service? Are you thinking of switching to cable broadband?
