Demand for high-speed fibre broadband from Dorset households and businesses doubles in a year
Demand for high-speed fibre broadband from Dorset households and businesses doubles in a year
About one in three households and businesses have already signed up for the new technology
More Dorset people are signing-up for high-speed fibre broadband than ever before thanks to the work of Superfast Dorset.
Figures announced by the multi million pound partnership today show the number of households and businesses using the faster connections in the Superfast Dorset area has more than doubled in the past year. More than 30 per cent are now signed up to a fibre broadband package, compared to 13 per cent just 12 months ago.
Superfast Dorset is working to roll out faster, more reliable broadband to businesses and homes in the county by delivering fibre broadband in areas which fall outside the private sector’s commercial roll-out of the high-speed technology. The partnership between Dorset councils, the Government and BT is continuing to make strong progress, having already made superfast broadband available to more than 90 per cent of premises across the county.
Some of the most recent areas to benefit from the fibre broadband rollout include Long Bredy, Sandford Orcas and Hinton Parva.
Colin Jamieson, Dorset County Council cabinet member for economy and growth, said: “There are some fantastic fibre broadband deals available at the moment. People are telling us that by speaking to their broadband provider they are able to upgradeat a similar price to their existing standard broadband monthly deal. The latest figures show that more Dorset homes and businesses are discovering the benefits of superfast fibre broadband.”
Paul Coles, BT’s regional manager for the South West, said: “We are delighted the rollout of this exciting technology in Dorset is proving to be so popular. The Superfast Dorset team are out and about in the community doing a great job of raising awareness of the benefits of fibre broadband.
“Whatever you do online you can do it better with fibre broadband. It helps boost the competitiveness and efficiency of businesses, whilst offering households better access to important online services, education and entertainment.
“It is important to bear in mind that when superfast broadband becomes available in an area, local households and businesses need to arrange an upgrade with their chosen service provider in order to get the faster speeds.”
Fibre broadband helps make everything happen online much faster than a standard broadband connection. The technology offers download speeds typically several times faster than standard broadband. This faster and more reliable technology is allowing businesses to work more efficiently in new ways, such as having the ability to work from home.
All of the engineering work for Superfast Dorset is being carried out by Openreach, BT’s local network business. This means residents and businesses with access to fibre broadband can choose from a wide range of internet service providers and benefit from competitive pricing and products.
To check if your home or business can get fibre visit www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/superfast. You can also sign up on the website to receive regular project updates and to receive an email when fibre arrives in your area.
Superfast Dorset has recently launched a Facebook page as another way to keep residents and businesses up-to-date with progress. Like the page: https://www.facebook.com/superfastdorset
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About the Superfast Dorset project
Superfast Dorset is a partnership between BT, the Department of Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), Dorset County Council, Bournemouth Borough Council, the Borough of Poole, Christchurch Borough Council, East Dorset District Council, North Dorset District Council, Purbeck District Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
Partner contributions:
DCMS - £11.7m
BT - £13.29m
Dorset councils - £12.3m
Breakdown of local authority allocation:
- Dorset County Council - £8,633,473
- West Dorset District Council - £1,487,207
- Christchurch Borough Council - £100,044
- East Dorset District Council - £347,434
- North Dorset District Council - £843,475
- Purbeck District Council - £437,614
- Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - £153,093
- Bournemouth Borough Council - £70,495
- Poole Borough Council - £227,490
The Superfast Dorset project will help to provide:
- 97 per cent of Dorset premises with access to superfast broadband (at least 24Mbps)
- Even more premises with access to fibre broadband (this will offer speeds above 2Mbps)
- 100 per cent of premises with access to greater than 2Mbps, some via other broadband technologies
Further information is available from www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/superfast
About BDUK
Superfast Britain is a 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 per cent 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
