A Plusnet customer has become the first in the UK to go live with BT Openreach's fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband.

The subscriber, who uses the forum title 'herbiejhopkins', has received 77Mb capabilities through a pilot of the fibre-optic broadband scheme.

Initial upload speeds of 15Mb were also recorded via the trial connection, highlighting the potential for the technology to support advanced web services.

Writing in the company blog, Plusnet's Dave Tomlinson said a dozen customers in Milton Keynes were currently participating in FTTP trials.

"Unlike existing DSL broadband services, there's no copper involved in the connection - an engineer will run fibre-optic cable direct to your home," he explained.

"As such, certain limitations on copper such as the speed decreasing the further you are from the exchange, are no longer an issue."

Earlier this week, Plusnet launched a new broadband deal offering new subscribers three months free on its Value, Extra and Pro packages.