Korean researchers have developed a new type of plastic optical fibre which could cut costs of installing 'last mile' broadband infrastructure.

Developed by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, the cable is capable of delivering speeds of up to 2.5Gbs, Korea News reports.

The cable is significantly cheaper to produce and easier to install than glass fibre cables and could, it is claimed, facilitate "last mile" connections between homes and large infrastructure cables through its flexibility.

A statement from the institute said: "All the materials and applications were developed by local researchers - the communication solution is also designed to work well with South Korea's uniquely dense housing environment and its `fibre-to-the-home' infrastructure."

The Korean team's announcement comes hard on the heels of US communications firm Verizon announced it has been trialling similar technology.

However, the Korean scientists claim their technology is up to two-thirds cheaper and of better quality.

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