22
July
2015
|
13:12
Europe/London

Carlton-in-Craven joins broadband superfast digital highway

Summary
Hundreds of residents in Carleton-In-Craven and Skipton are now able to join the superfast broadband highway – thanks to Craven District Council and the Superfast North Yorkshire project.

Hundreds of residents in Carleton-In-Craven and Skipton are now able to join the superfast broadband highway – thanks to Craven District Council and the Superfast North Yorkshire project.

Following a request from Superfast North Yorkshire, Craven District Council provided additional funds to enable the building of three green fibre cabinets that had been financially beyond the scope of the project or commercial providers.

As a result a further 1,154 homes and businesses in Carleton-in-Craven, Skipton North and Middletown, now have access to fibre-to-the-cabinet technology (FTTC), fibre broadband with speeds of up to 80 Mbps.[1]This is approximately more than twenty times the maximum speed previously available.

More than 25,000 premises in Craven already have access to high-speed fibre broadband as part of the Superfast North Yorkshire project, a partnership between North Yorkshire County Council and BT.

Residents in Carleton-in-Craven have been racing to switch on to a superfast service, with one of the new cabinets having one of the highest take-up rates for fibre broadband in the county.

BT’s network is available on an open, wholesale basis to all companies offering broadband services so North Yorkshire households and businesses will benefit from a choice of superfast services from a range of Internet Service Providers.

Cllr Simon Myers, Craven District Council’s lead member for Enterprising Craven, said: “It’s vital that our residents have access to an acceptable broadband connection. Without this strong connection to the wider world, rural areas struggle to attract new businesses and keep existing companies and residents thriving in their communities.”

Cllr Carl Les, Leader of North Yorkshire County Council, said: “Superfast broadband is now seen as an essential rather than a luxury. Superfast broadband provides the cornerstone for prosperous communities – helping local people build their skills and knowledge and encouraging the creation of new businesses and jobs, and helping to keep those businesses and jobs in the local community.

“There is no quick and easy way to get superfast broadband to rural areas. It involves challenges above and beyond those you would encounter in a more urban environment. We are very grateful for the support of Craven District Council in getting fibre to the area and it is very encouraging to see people quickly embracing this new technology.”

In May, Superfast North Yorkshire completed the first phase of its roll out to 150,000 homes and businesses. Close to 90 per centof the county’s 380,000 premises are now able to get superfast broadband - when BT’s and Virgin’s commercial roll-outs of fibre broadband are also taken into account.

Work is already underway on the next phase of the Superfast North Yorkshire project with £8 million in additional funding to make high speed broadband available to another 11,100 homes and businesses by the end of 2016.

The Superfast North Yorkshire project was the first in the UK to deploy fibre broadband using Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) funds following the signing of a the original £36.4m contract between North Yorkshire County Council and BT in July 2012.

The pioneering project was also the first in the North of England to deploy microwave radio technology designed to extend the reach of fibre - linking up the remote village of Westow.

The deployment of fibre broadband by the Superfast North Yorkshire project is in addition to around 200,000 North Yorkshire properties able to access fibre as a result of BT’s £2.5 billion commercial roll-out programme across the UK.

BT was chosen as the private sector partner in the project following an extensive selection process by the County Council. BT is contributing £10 million towards fibre deployment in “non-commercial” areas whilst the county council is using its £17.8 million share of BDUK funds and a further £8.6 million coming from the European Regional Development Fund[2] for the first phase of the project

The high-speed network installed by Openreach is available on an open, wholesale basis to all companies offering broadband services so North Yorkshire households and businesses will benefit from a choice of superfast services from a range of Internet Service Providers.

Notes to Editors:

Superfast Britain is a Government investment of £1.08bn 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 comprises three linked programmes:

  • £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

    About Superfast North Yorkshire

    Superfast North Yorkshire was created in July 2012 following the signing of the contract between North Yorkshire County Council and BT, which will see a total fibre broadband investment in the county expected to reach around £70 million.

    North Yorkshire is the first county in the UK successfully to deploy Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) funds, which will be used to extend the roll-out of faster broadband across the county. The project will reach those areas outside of any commercial roll-out using a partnership approach to ensure all communities have access to the fastest possible broadband speeds.

    The Superfast North Yorkshire project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf

    About ERDF

    The Superfast North Yorkshire project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf

    [1]These are the top wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.

    2The Superfast North Yorkshire project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf