The Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC) has joined CableVision in the race to offer Bermuda residents faster internet speeds.BTC’s board of directors has just approved a move to invest in an infrastructure upgrade that will allow the company to deliver some of the fastest broadband access Bermuda has ever seen.Eric Dobson, CEO of BTC says that by the end of the first quarter of 2013, 40 percent of homes on the Island will have access to download speeds of 25Mbps and upload speeds of 4Mbps.“We will aggressively expand and improve upon the quality and capabilities of our local infrastructure. We will do so through new investments and by leveraging existing fibre networks,” Mr Dobson said.The project, which will leverage PRISM, BTC’s new $10 million Island-wide fibre-optic network, is a direct result of changes in customer demand, the company said.“Today, higher upload speeds are now a very real consideration for many,” BTC spokeswoman Jennifer Mahoney told The Royal Gazette. “Customers’ needs have changed along with the technology they use. It is safe to say that e-mail has now taken over as a primary communication tool for both residential and business customers.”The new higher speeds are significantly greater than what is currently available. Right now, the maximum speeds being offered to residential customers are downloads of 10Mbps and uploads of up to 1 Mbps. At the current speed, it takes over an hour on average to download a 4GB-6GB movie. At 25 Mbps, it will take about 25 minutes.While BTC says the new speeds will be available to 40 percent of residents by the end of January, they cannot say what parts of the island will get it first because they are spread out across the island. The company said that is only part of phase one, and by the end of phase two, the entire island should have access. When phase two will be, they could not say.BTC also plans to introduce high-speed access services small office home office (SOHO) customers.“Doctors’ offices, design firms, law firms and others all have large amounts of data to send, which translates into increased demand for greater upload speeds,” Ms Mahoney said. “Not all businesses can afford a dedicated circuit, so our new SOHO solution will fill that gap.”The company will offer a suite of small business offerings will include several options, with the premium tier allowing download speeds of 15Mbps with upload speeds of up to 10Mbps. Pricing will range from $175 to $330 and will include an unlimited voice product.“These services represent increased efficiencies for small business and an unbelievable difference in experience for residential users,” Ms Mahoney said. “These will facilitate greater online collaboration, uninterrupted streaming, and they have the ability to support all sorts of next generation services.”“This move seemed to be the logical next step in the group’s development of Bermuda’s local infrastructure, and will facilitate the delivery of next generation services to both residential customers and small business owners,” said Lloyd Fray, CEO of BTC’s parent company, KeyTech.In June, the Bermuda Telecommunications Commission granted CableVision approval for its plan to provide residential high-speed internet at speeds of 15 and 25Mbps with a 2Mbps upload speed. The company told this newspaper it plans to offer those speeds within six month of that approval.BTC said it will be submitting its plans to the Commission for approval this week.Ms Mahoney said the approved pricing for CableVisions service was $90 for 15 Mbps and $140 for 25 Mbps. BTC, she said, intends to offer the same speeds for $89 and $139 respectively.As for who goes to market first, she said, it remains to be seen.