Demand for high-speed fibre broadband soars in Derbyshire
More Derbyshire people are signing-up for high-speed fibre broadband than ever before thanks to the work of Digital Derbyshire.
Digital Derbyshire – a multi-million pound partnership between Derbyshire County Council and BT – has made fibre-optic broadband technology available to nearly 90,000 homes and businesses across the county.
And figures announced today show the number of homes and businesses using the faster connections in the Digital Derbyshire area almost tripled in the past year with more than 29 per cent now signed up to a fibre broadband package compared to 10 per cent just 12 months ago.
Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Councillor Dean Collins said: “Fibre broadband is transforming the lives of people in Derbyshire.
“So much we do these days relies on a fast internet connection whether we’re at home or at work. And demand for better, faster broadband in Derbyshire is clear – in the past year three times more homes and businesses have signed-up to use the new technology installed as part of the Digital Derbyshire programme.
“We’re aiming to make fibre-optic broadband available to 98 per cent of homes and businesses by the end of 2018. To check availability in your area visit www.digitalderbyshire.org.uk”
Some of the most recent areas to benefit from the fibre broadband rollout include parts of Bolsover, Chinley, Great Longstone, Clay Cross, Hathersage and Overseal.
Steve Henderson, BT’s regional director for next generation access, said: “We are delighted the rollout in Derbyshire is proving to be so popular. The Digital Derbyshire team are out and about in the community doing a great job of raising awareness of the benefits of fibre broadband. The technology really does have the ability to transform the way people and businesses use the internet.”
Fibre broadband helps make everything happen online much faster than a standard broadband connection. The technology offers download speeds up to 80Mbps.
All of the engineering work as part of Digital Derbyshire 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.
The Digital Derbyshire project is being funded using £15.2 million from BT, £5 million from Derbyshire County Council, £9.7 million from the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK fund, £2.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund and £2.2 million from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.
To find out more about Digital Derbyshire, visit www.digitalderbyshire.org.uk.
