Nottinghamshire Broadband programme tops 10,000 homes and businesses
More than 10,000 homes and businesses across Nottinghamshire now have access to faster broadband speeds as part of the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (BBfN) partnership.
The £19.8 million partnership between Nottinghamshire County Council and BT, has reached the milestone within just six months of work starting.
This latest announcement means that many people living and working in areas such as Southwell, Mansfield, Arnold, Cotgrave, Newark, Kirkby, Worksop, Burton Joyce and Collingham can now experience the benefits fast, fibre broadband can bring.
Councillor Diana Meale, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Economic Development Committee, said, “Expanding Nottinghamshire’s broadband network not only improves the quality of life of local residents – it is essential for business, creating jobs and boosting the county’s economy.
“The progress to date is a fantastic achievement and is only the beginning as work will continue to take place to ensure broadband access is offered to as many people as possible in the county.”
Steve Henderson, regional director of next generation access in the East Midlands for BT, said: “The project is making great progress across Nottinghamshire and it’s great news that more than 10,000 premises already have access to fibre broadband. There’s still plenty more work to do and local people will no doubt see a lot of activity in the coming months as engineers reach more and more areas, as we bring them the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of superfast broadband.”
Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: “The Government’s nationwide rollout of superfast broadband is proceeding at pace and I’m delighted to hear that more than 10,000 homes and businesses in Nottinghamshire now have access to superfast speeds as a result. Across the UK, we are reaching more than 40,000 new premises every week, and the transformation of broadband in rural areas will provide a welcome boost to Nottinghamshire’s economy.”
Work to lay 1 million kilometres of fibre and install nearly400 new fibre structures got underway in Nottinghamshire during April. Some of the first areas to receive the new technology were Collingham, Arnold and Mansfield.
Local residents are being encouraged to visit the BBfN Facebook page and get involved in their #hugacabinet campaign by sending in pictures of newly installed fibre broadband cabinets throughout the county.
Benefits of fibre broadband include faster download and upload speeds; the ability to access the internet via multiple devices without experiencing a slow connection, faster downloads of films and music, a better online gaming experience, improved file sharing for businesses, solutions based on Cloud computing and being able to work more flexibly.
The Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire programme runs until 2016 and will provide access for more than 52,000 homes and businesses by the time it is complete, raising fibre broadband coverage across the county from 86 per cent to 95 per cent.
Along with £2.15m of County Council funding and £9.3m from BT, the project benefits from £4.5m from Broadband Delivery UK, the government’s delivery body, as well as £2.7m of funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government through the European Regional Development Fund. The remaining £1.15m is made up of contributions from Nottinghamshire District and Borough Councils, as well as the City Council.
Due to the way in which the programme is delivered, cabinets will continue to go live at regular intervals during the coming weeks and months. For the most up to date information, visit www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/broadband
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire
The Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire project, led by Nottinghamshire County Council and BT will change the way Nottinghamshire lives, works, plays and learns by investing £19.8 million to extend the county’s next generation fibre optic cable based broadband network to 95 per cent of homes and businesses.
It opens up huge opportunities to improve the quality of life and leisure prospects for Nottinghamshire families and will open new opportunities through online learning and faster access to information and services. It will provide a huge boost for businesses and the Nottinghamshire economy. Nottinghamshire firms will be able to find and establish new markets (locally, internationally, and globally), increase their competitiveness and create new jobs.
Households and businesses will have to contact their chosen Internet Service Provider to discuss upgrading to a fibre broadband connection.
The £19.8m is broken down as follows: Nottinghamshire County Council - £2.15m; Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) – £4.5m; ERDF - £2.7m; BT - £9.3m; Nottinghamshire District Councils (Ashfield District Council , Bassetlaw District Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council) - £1m; Nottingham City Council - £150,000.
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% 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
ERDF
The Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire project is part financed by the East Midlands 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.gov.uk/browse/business/funding-debt/european-regional-development-funding
