Superfast broadband, superfast deployment in North Somerset
Another 3,888 businesses and households in North Somerset now have access to faster, more reliable broadband
Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) has brought superfast broadband to more homes and businesses in North Somerset. The area has had a major boost in the number of people who can get superfast broadband, with another 3,888 households and businesses now able to sign up to the high speed technology following the connection of 17 fibre broadband cabinets in parts of Yatton, Winscombe, Wrington and Churchill as a result of the CDS programme.
CDS is on target to make superfast broadband speeds of 24Mbps and above available to around 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the two counties by the end of 2016.
North Somerset Council Leader Nigel Ashton, Yatton Ward Councillor Annabel Tall and BT representatives attended an event celebrating the arrival of superfast broadband in Yatton, where Councillors and CDS representatives talked about the great benefits of the high speed technology for businesses. Local business owner Rob Vivian, Director and Founder of Pure Comms, also attended.
Since 2013, the CDS programme has made fibre broadband available to more than 100,000 homes and businesses across Devon and Somerset and is set to reach many more in parts of North Somerset such as Banwell and Blagdon. These areas, along with the further parts of Yatton, Winscombe, Wrington and Churchill yet to be connected, are scheduled to ‘go live’ later in the year. Residents can check the status of each postcode in the programme using the Where and When map on the CDS website athttp://www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk/where-when/
Commenting on what this means for his constituency, Dr. Liam Fox, MP for North Somerset, said: “The Connecting Devon and Somerset programme is now making real headway in supporting communities in North Somerset; 8 cabinets in Yatton will provide superfast broadband to 1776 premises and 4 in Wrington will reach 642 premises. It underlines how critical quality connectivity is for businesses and households in the modern age. Whether it is used as an integral tool for local businesses or for leisure and social purposes, the importance of broadband cannot be overstated.”
The increase in upload and download speeds brought about by superfast internet will help local businesses attract new customers, work more efficiently and grow. In Clevedon, one company quick to sign up to the new technology is Pure Comms, a telecoms company based in East End Court, in Tickenham, Clevedon.
Rob Vivian, Director and Founder of Pure Comms, said: “Everything is so much smoother and faster now; superfast broadband has transformed the range and quality of services we can offer. For us as a Reseller it means we can really get to demonstrate to our customers our specific knowledge in this area and provide real value by supplying an appropriate service. For us as a business being able to provide the right solution to the client has always been far more important than simply fighting with commodity brokers to provide a poor product cheaper.
“We supported the Connecting Devon and Somerset campaign for better broadband because it is essential for businesses in rural areas like ours.”
Cllr Nigel Ashton said: “It’s wonderful to see so many people getting connected as a result of this programme. This is a significant step for North Somerset. The benefits that superfast broadband can bring are enormous – more and more, we find that people are reliant on high speeds for business and home life, and we’re ahead of the curve in being able to offer this. There is still a lot of work to do, and the next phase of the programme will increase coverage further.”
Paul Coles, BT South West regional manager, explained: “Our engineers are working hard to make this exciting technology as widely available as possible as quickly as possible - as demonstrated by the achievement of 17 fibre broadband cabinets going live in this area in quick succession. This is what the Connecting Devon and Somerset project is all about – making a real difference to communities across the area in improving online business, education and leisure opportunities.
“Superfast fibre broadband is giving a major boost to local communities. It is an invaluable asset to businesses and households alike. Whatever you do online you can do it better with fibre broadband.”
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Notes to Editors
About Connecting Devon and Somerset
Councils across Devon and Somerset are working together to bring faster broadband to the area and deliver improved broadband for rural Devon and Somerset – the “final third” – rural areas that are unlikely to benefit from commercial investment in broadband.
The Connecting Devon and Somerset project covers Devon County Council, Somerset County Council, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council, and North Somerset Council areas.
In 2011 the programme secured £32 million of funding from the government agency Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) and both Somerset and Devon County Councils put in £10 million each. Further funding from Bath and North East Somerset Council brought the public sector total close to £53 million. With the £41 million additional investment from BT the Programme is investing £94 million to improve broadband connectivity.
In 2014 BDUK announced a further £22.75m allocated to the CDS programme to support the extension of superfast broadband coverage to 95 per cent of premises nationally. This has been matched locally, which means the programme has over £45 million further to invest in bringing superfast broadband to the area.
For more information, visit www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk
About “Get up to Speed”
The ‘Get up to Speed’ service is delivered by the Cosmic Peninsula Consortium on behalf of Connecting Devon and Somerset. The newly established consortium, formed by Peninsula Enterprise and Cosmic IT, will undertake a series of workshops and events that will follow the infrastructure roll out as it moves across Devon and Somerset, helping businesses and individuals’ access information and develop the skills they need to get the most from the faster broadband speeds.
For more information please visit www.get-up-to-speed.co.uk
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, visit https://www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk
