Partnership brings superfast broadband to Beddington Industrial area
A partnership between the Beddington Business Improvement District (BID) team and Openreach, BT’s local network division, is planning to make superfast fibre broadband available to around 190 businesses within the Beddington Industrial Area, in the London Borough of Croydon.
Openreach will upgrade three green roadside cabinets with Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technology, as part of BT’s Community Fibre Partnership scheme. Fibre broadband speeds of up to 80Mbpsi will be available for the first time from a wide range of service providers in the Beddington Industrial Area. The co-funded deal, which has just been signed, is expected to see the first businesses get access to the service next year, after planning and engineering work are completed
Peter Whitehead, MD of PF Whitehead Logistics and Chairman of the Beddington BID, said: “The BID Board have been in successful talks with Openreach, resulting in this exciting solution. The Beddington BID team recognised the demand for faster broadband speeds by many local firms in the area and the long term business benefits. Superfast broadband is becoming a ‘must have’ item in developments across London, so this partnership will make the Beddington Industrial Area a hugely appealing place for companies to conduct their business.”
Andrew Campling, BT’s general manager for London, said: “This community partnership is great news for the area. It is the latest development in our continuing drive to make faster internet access as widely available as possible. The faster broadband speeds will make the local businesses even more competitive, helping to secure and grow local employment opportunities.”
Kim Mears, managing director of infrastructure delivery in Openreach, said: “The vast majority of the capital already has access to fibre broadband, but we are determined to go further, working with other organisations and local communities to find solutions for the more challenging locations.”
Openreach recently announced it will make fibre available for a further 360,000 homes and businesses in London in the next two years.
The rollout will take availability of fibre optic services for London homes and small businesses beyond the current 94 per cent coverageii.
A Community Fibre Partnership is where BT works with a local group that isn't covered in an existing fibre upgrade plan, to find a solution to bring fibre to their area. For example: residents of a rural village or a block of flats in a city centre or a group of business owners in an industrial park. The community works directly with BT and helps fund part of the fibre build.
For more information on Community Fibre Partnerships with BT, visit www.communityfibre.bt.com
