30
September
2014
|
23:00
Europe/London

Are you next in line for superfast broadband?

Additional 10,500 Hampshire premises set to get fibre broadband access 

An additional 10,500 homes and businesses in rural parts of East Hampshire, Winchester, Basingstoke and the New Forest will get access to high-speed fibre broadband between now and the end of March thanks to Hampshire’s Superfast Broadband Programme
Phase four of the multi-million pound project will see roadside fibre broadband cabinets switched on in the rural areas of: Havant, Hayling Island, Liss, Petersfield, Alresford, Bransgore, Sopley, Burley, New Milton, Itchen Abbas, Hordle, Barton On Sea, Ringwood, Greatham, Ball Hill, Woolton Hill, Highclere, Headley, Kingsclere and Yateley.

To view a detailed map of the areas to be covered in phase four, visit: www.hampshiresuperfastbroadband.com

Hampshire’s Superfast Broadband programme, which is being delivered by Openreach, BT’s local network business, is helping to make the high-speed technology available in rural areas which fall outside the private sector’s commercial plans.

Among those to benefit are Sharon and Philip Hopkins from Hordle, Havant, who own their own software company, Apptelic. Sharon and Philip adopt a flexible approach for themselves and their staff and work from home the majority of the time. Philip sees superfast broadband as the key to the future development of software and digital technology. “Superfast Broadband is crucial for the future of our business and others alike. Thanks to the improved connection we can now work on global projects without constant flights and instantly exchange ideas at any time and from anywhere.” Read more on this story.

So far, the programme has given a total of more than 21,000 homes and businesses the opportunity to switch over to high-speed broadband, building on the work of the private sector’s commercial roll-out, which has already made fibre broadband available to more than 620,000 Hampshire homes and businesses.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Roy Perry, said: “The next phase of our Superfast Broadband Programme will see another 10,500 homes and businesses given the opportunity to switch over to faster internet speeds. We are now half way through our programme, with approximately another 59,000 premises due to get access to fibre broadband by the end of 2015 - in some of the most rural parts of Hampshire.

"Superfast broadband is increasingly important if local households and businesses are to make the most of the huge range of opportunities offered by the internet, whether they are seeking to start a new business, find new customers, undertake on-line training, complete homework or simply use it for leisure, and keeping in touch with family and friends.”

Peter Cowen, BT’s regional partnership director for the South East, said: “This is excellent news for Hampshire and another important milestone for a partnership which is making real progress. This popular technology can help homes access leisure and entertainment choices at the click of a button, whilst businesses can grow and boost the local economy.”

People using superfast broadband are able to use multiple bandwidth-hungry applications at the same time and send and receive large amounts of data much more quickly and efficiently. New superfast broadband services are set to transform the way households use the internet, from the simple sharing of pictures and video and on-line training and research to enjoying the growing boom in entertainment services available on-line.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

The Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), together with the County Council and other local government partners, invested £10m in the programme to reach 90 per cent of premises by the end of 2015. BT has contributed a further £3.8m towards the cost of installing the new infrastructure.

The County Council and DCMS will provide additional funding totalling £18.4m to extend coverage to at least 95 per cent of premises by the end of 2017.

For further information
Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Regional Press Office on 0800 085 0660. All news releases can be accessed at our web site: http://www.btplc.com/News


About BDUK

Superfast Britain is a UK Government programme of investment in broadband and communication infrastructure across the UK. Run by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, this investment helps businesses to grow, creates jobs and will make Britain more competitive in the global race. The portfolio is comprised of three elements:
• £780m to extend superfast broadband to 95% of the UK by 2017
• £150m to provide high speed broadband to businesses in 22 cities
• £150m to improve quality and coverage of mobile phone and basic data network services
Administered on behalf of Government by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), Superfast Britain is transforming Britain by promoting growth, enabling skills and learning, and improving quality of life.
For further information: https://www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk