West Yorkshire picked as trial area for Government’s £200m ‘full fibre’ project

West Yorkshire will soon be trying out broadband technology that provides data at speeds approaching one gigabit per second in the first stage of a £200m scheme.

The projects will get around £10m to test innovative ways of connecting offices and public sector buildings with the next generation of broadband – full fibre networks that run fibre connections straight to the doors of customers’ homes or businesses.

The multi-million-pound investment means test projects will also go ahead in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, West Sussex, Coventry and Warwickshire, Bristol and Bath & North East Somerset, and Greater Manchester.

Unveiled by the Chancellor Philip Hammond at Spring Budget, the programme is part of the government’s four-year plan to stimulate the market and encourage the growth of full fibre up and down the country.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones, said: “How we live and work today is directly affected by how good our broadband connection is. Reliable connections enable new industries to flourish, help create jobs and give people flexibility in how and where they work.

“For our economy to thrive, it is vital we make smart investments to ensure our digital infrastructure is world class and fit for the future.

“Full fibre connections are the gold standard and we are proud to announce today the next step to get Britain better connected.

Minister of State for digital, Matt Hancock MP, said: “We want to see more commercial investment in the gold standard connectivity that full fibre provides, and these innovative pilots will help create the right environment for this to happen. To keep Britain as the digital world leader that it is, we need to have the right infrastructure in place to allow us to keep up with the rapid advances in technology now and in the future.

The cutting-edge technology will make internet access more secure and enable more people to work remotely without disruption, as well as equipping the UK’s homes, businesses and public services for applications of the future.

Full fibre broadband could potentially allow:
Hospitals to share HD quality graphics of medical scans in seconds to improve diagnosis speeds

Businesses to reach more customers online, increasing transactions by uploading the largest files quickly and easily

School classrooms to see an increase the number of pupils who can stream educational videos at the same time