Slow broadband comes a cropper as Notts village enters the fast lane
Hundreds of homes in a Nottinghamshire village, named just six months ago as having one of the slowest broadband speeds in the UK, now have access to fast fibre broadband.
St Giles Way in Cropwell Bishop was revealed as one of the country's top 50 broadband slow spots in an uSwitch report in April.
But two new broadband cabinets have been installed in the village as part of the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (BBfN) programme.
And now slow upload times, buffering videos and an inability to keep in touch with family and friends online are a thing of the past, with available speeds going from less than 2Mbps to over 24Mbps in St Giles Way, thanks to BBfN.
Tony Jarrow, who lives in nearby Barratt Close, says that basic actions like streaming video and uploading photos used to be virtually impossible, but he too is now enjoying broadband that's 24 times faster than before.
Tony said: "The broadband speeds in the village have been slow for years and we would consistently struggle to even do basic things online without having to wait - or give up all together.
"I create lots of photo books for the family and uploading multiple files in the past could take hours, but now with our new, more reliable fibre connection, it is done in minutes. We're also able to stream online content much more easily, which before would have been impossible."
Tony produces a website for the village - www.cropwellbishopplan.co.uk - which he develops on a daily basis as a valuable and popular resource for the local community.
He added: "Upgrading to a fibre connection has really opened doors in relation to the village website.
"Once we found out that our area was being covered by the (BBfN) programme we couldn't wait to upgrade to a fibre connection. As soon as we had confirmation that the new cabinets were live, I searched for the best fibre broadband deals and selected one that was right for us. We're now getting speeds that are 24 times faster than those we received previously."
By the end of the programme, 94% of Cropwell Bishop will be able to access a fibre network.
Councillor Diana Meale, Chair of Economic Development Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "It's fantastic to hear from people like Tony, who have benefitted so much from the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire initiaitve.
"By March 2016, Nottinghamshire will be amongst the best-connected counties in the entire country, which has multiple benefits, from boosting the economy and creating jobs, to improving education and communication.
"To have fibre broadband available to 95% of homes and businesses will be great news for Nottinghamshire - but we're not stopping there. We're already well on the way in preparing the next phase of our roll-out which will see faster fibre coverage extended further."
BBfN is a £19.8m programme led by Nottinghamshire County Council and BT. It aims to build on the private sector roll-out of fibre broadband to provide around 95% of the county's homes and businesses with access to the high speed technology by March 2016.
As the programme is delivering a network that is open to all communications providers, residents and businesses will have a choice of the product and service that's best for them, helping to keep the cost of packages and contracts competitive.
The programme is well underway, with more than 20,000 homes and businesses already able to benefit. Around a hundred BBfN cabinets have been switched on across the county since June this year, with more and more being enabled every week.
To find out about broadband availability in your area, visit the dedicated section of Nottinghamshire County Council's website - 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.
About Superfast Britain
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
