The high-speed fibre-optic network owned by leading broadband provider BT is set to be shared among other operators, it has been announced.

BT will also be required to share access to underground ducts and telegraph poles that carry telephone lines as part of Ofcom's latest proposals.

The regulator said its plans are designed to encourage the roll-out of superfast broadband across the UK.

It also revealed that investment in new networks, especially over the past 18 months, means superfast broadband is now available to around 46 per cent of UK households.

"Superfast broadband is starting to be a reality in the UK, with very significant advances in recent months in the speeds some providers are offering," said Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards.

The news comes after the prime minister Gordon Brown said in a speech that all homes in the UK will have access to superfast broadband by 2020.

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