‘home of King Arthur’ gets high-speed fibre broadband as coverage in Cornwall passes 70 per cent
Tintagel, Boscastle, Bodinnick, Mount, Morwenstow, and Sennen Cove included in Superfast Cornwall roll-out
The historic villages of Tintagel and Boscastle are among the latest Cornish communities to get superfast broadband, the Superfast Cornwall partnership announced today.
More than 2,500 residents and businesses in Boddinnick, Constantine Bay, Mount, Morwenstow, Sennen Cove, St Kew Highway, Whitstone and Zelah - as well as Boscastle and Tintagel - are joining the fibre optic broadband revolution as engineers complete the local investment in the coming weeks.
The £132 million 1 Superfast Cornwall partnership between the European Union, BT and Cornwall Council has now made the high-speed technology available to 182,000 Cornish premises – more than 70 per cent of the total – and aims to reach 95 per cent next year. Alternative technologies, such as satellite and advanced copper solutions, will be used to boost broadband speeds in locations where optical fibre is not viable.
The fastest form of fibre broadband, fibre to the premises (FTTP) – in which fibre optics run all the way from the telephone exchange to local businesses and homes – has recently been rolled out to three local industrial estates – Barncoose and Pool in Redruth and Pennygillam in Launceston. FTTP offers the top download speed of 330Mbps2. According to the regulator Ofcom, the average broadband speed in the UK is 12Mbps.
According to legend, Tintagel is the birthplace of King Arthur. It also appears to have been an important trading post from late Roman times. Boscastle, too, is steeped in history. Its name is believed to come from Botreaux Castle, a 12th century fortress, of which little remains.
Nigel Ashcroft, Superfast Cornwall programme director for Cornwall Development Company, the economic development company of Cornwall Council, said fibre optic broadband was already making a major contribution to improving the lives of tens of thousands of people in Cornwall.
“Superfast broadband is bringing tremendous benefits to both business and residents in enabled areas. It allows businesses to take advantage of video conferencing through applications like Skype, offers quicker uploads and downloads speeds and provides the opportunity for more flexible working. At home, this means the entire family can be online at the same time without interruptions, whether watching movies, listening to music online or working from home.”
Ranulf Scarbrough, Superfast Cornwall programme director for BT, said: “The arrival of fibre broadband in these smaller communities demonstrates the progress achieved by the partnership. We are bringing world class communications to more and more small, rural villages in the county as well as increasing availability in major communities, such as Truro, Bodmin, Redruth and Penzance. The pace of the roll-out programme is matched by continuing strong demand with more than 28,000 Cornish homes and businesses already using fibre broadband.”
Glenton Brown, Cornwall Councillor for Tintagel, said: “This area has major historical significance and we are incredibly proud of our heritage, but I am thrilled that locals and visitors alike will now also enjoy a 21st century experience with the arrival of superfast broadband.”
Up to £53.5 million of the funding for Superfast Cornwall is coming from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Convergence Programme, the largest ever single European investment in broadband infrastructure, whilst BT is investing up to £78.5 million.
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1 The exact amount is dependent on demand for fibre broadband from local businesses and could be lower than £132 million.
2These are the top wholesale speeds available from BT’s local network business, Openreach, to all broadband service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.
For further information on the Superfast Cornwall programme visit www.superfastcornwall.org
Notes to Editors
Further information about next generation broadband is available from www.bt.com/ngb
About the Convergence Programme
The Superfast Cornwall project is part financed by the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Convergence European Regional Development Fund Convergence 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: https://www.gov.uk/erdf-national-guidance or
www.convergencecornwall.com
ERDF Convergence Project Investment: Up to £53.5 million
About Cornwall Development Company
Cornwall Development Company Ltd, the arms length economic development company for Cornwall Council, is managing the Superfast Cornwall programme.
Further information is available at www.cornwalldevelopmentcompany.co.uk
