“Superfast Snarestone” as village is connected by 200th fibre broadband cabinet in Leicestershire
Residents and businesses in the village of Snarestone now have access to fibre broadband thanks to the 200th Superfast Leicestershire cabinet.
The green roadside cabinet, which provides homes and businesses with internet access, has been upgraded as part of the partnership between Leicestershire County Council and BT which has now reached over 46,000 premises in Leicestershire.
The news that over 110 additional homes and businesses in the village can now access fibre technology comes on the same day as the government announces more than three million homes and business across the country can now access superfast broadband.
Blake Pain, Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet member for broadband, said: “It’s exciting that we have reached this stage in the project, seeing even more homes and businesses connected.”
Steve Henderson, BT’s regional director for next generation access, said: “Superfast Leicestershire is progressing extremely well and we’re connecting communities across the county as quickly as possible. Fibre broadband has the ability to transform the online fortunes of homes and businesses so it’s great news that we’ve reached 200 cabinets.”
Superfast Leicestershire, the partnership between Leicestershire County Council and BT, with additional funding from the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK programme, aims to take fibre broadband to around 72,000 premises across the county by the end of 2018.
Simon Boam, Chairman of Snarestone Parish Council, said. “This is great news for our community. Within Snarestone there are a number of businesses who have struggled with poor broadband speeds. This investment will help boost economic growth and ensure residents can work from home more effectively”.
The announcement comes on the same day as Government has announced the nationwide rollout of superfast broadband has now passed more than three million UK homes and businesses. The rollout is on track to reach 95 per cent of the UK by 2017 and is now reaching around 5,000 additional premises every day.
Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: “Our nationwide rollout of superfast broadband has now reached an additional three million UK homes and businesses and is transforming lives up and down the country. I'm delighted that the people and businesses of Leicestershire are now able to enjoy all the benefits that superfast speeds have to offer."
The Leicestershire project is building on BT’s own commercial roll-out, which has already made fibre broadband available to around 291,000 Leicestershire homes and businesses.
The Openreach network being installed under the Superfast Leicestershire programme is open to communications providers on an equal basis. This means that once an area has gone live for fibre, people can order fibre broadband from a range of broadband providers, ensuring competitive prices.
For more information about Superfast Leicestershire visit www.superfastleicestershire.org.uk or look out for #SuperfastLeics on Twitter.
ENDS
- About Superfast Leicestershire
Superfast Leicestershire is a project that seeks to extend high-speed fibre broadband coverage beyond the existing commercial fibre broadband rollout of companies such as Openreach (a BT Group company) and Virgin Media to support the County Council’s vision that all premises can access superfast broadband speeds by 2018.
As part of the initial £18.8m contract the county council is investing £4.0m in this project. £1.1m has been allocated by the district and borough councils, with an additional £3.4m coming from the Government and £1.2m from the European Union. BT is also contributing £9.1m towards the overall cost of the Superfast Leicestershire project. This contract will ensure high-speed broadband access to 62,000 premises.
The Superfast Extension Programme contract will ensure a further £9.2m of investment to increase coverage. Government is investing £3.45m, £1.45m is from the county council, £2m has been allocated by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership as part of its Local Growth Fund, and £2.3m is from BT. The Superfast Extension Programme contract will ensure high-speed broadband access to more than 10,000 additional premises in Leicestershire.
We expect that both contracts will ensure that 95% of business and residential premises in Leicestershire will be able to access superfast broadband speeds, in excess of 24Mbps, by the end of 2017.
Many homes and businesses in the county may already have access to fibre broadband. Superfast Leicestershire concentrates on the areas the commercial rollout is not able to reach. In addition to the commitment to extend superfast broadband coverage, Superfast Leicestershire aims to ensure all premises have access to at least 2Mbps.
The county council is keen to ensure that everyone within Leicestershire can benefit from this project as it helps to grow the economy over the coming years. The county council anticipates that this investment in superfast broadband could generate £92m of economic growth by 2021, and will work with local communities as well as help small businesses to adopt technologies and grow.
Media enquiries - Kelly Baker-Adams (Media Officer, LCC) Kelly.baker-adams@leics.gov.uk 0116 305 3858 or you can contact the BT regional press office on 0800 085 0660.
- 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 more information: https://www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk
- About Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP)
The LLEP is one of 39 Local Economic Partnerships (LEPs) in the country, set up to spearhead local economic development.
The LLEP has ambitious yet realistic targets to create 45,000 new jobs, lever £2.5 billion of private investment and increase Gross Value Added by £4 billion by 2020, by investing in infrastructure, business support and employment and skills initiatives.
The LLEP has achieved significant success in our area including:
- the most advanced Enterprise Zone in the country, which has attracted the likes of Ashok Leyland and Bosch and created over 250 jobs
- investing its Growing Places Fund to unlock the development of thousands of new homes and employment land and secure the relocation of Formula E (electric motorcar racing) to new international headquarters at Donington Park in Leicestershire
- through City Deal creating its flagship Business Growth Hub and Leicester & Leicestershire to Work Programme.
The LLEP has allocated £3.1m to increase high-speed broadband coverage in Leicester and Leicestershire as part of its Local Growth Deal. Of this £2m have been allocated to Leicestershire County Council and £1.1m to Leicester City Council.
For more information visit www.llep.org.uk.
