A revolutionary method of removing underground copper cable, which could help speed up BT’s plans for super-fast broadband, is being introduced to the UK.

Kabel-X, a patented method which strips copper cable away for replacement with fibre optic cable without the need for extensive digging, is already used in Germany and Austria.

The firm behind the UK version says it could cut removal costs by 80% at five times the speed of conventional digging and retain copper for recycling.

Copper prices have shot up in recent years, hitting $8,000 (£4,000) a ton.

Last week, BT announced plans to offer “super-fast” broadband to 10m homes by 2012. The £1.5 billion scheme could deliver top speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, with the potential for faster speeds in the future. It would mean the replacement of millions of miles of copper cables with fibre optics, which can carry much more data.

The scheme works by accessing a small section of ducts holding the wire and injecting a liquid which then allows the copper wires to be removed intact, leaving the duct free for new fibre-optic cables.

Simon MacDonald, one of the founding partners of Kabel-X in the UK, said the company had carried out a successful pilot project in Southampton with BT. “Kabel-X works best in urban areas where the cost and disruption of digging will be very high,” he said.

“It is already being used in Europe and we are testing it in the United States too.”

BT last week urged the Scottish government and local councils to ensure funds are diverted to the super-fast broadband project so that it can be rolled out across the country.

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