Superfast broadband reaches 1 million more homes and businesses
THE government’s rollout of superfast broadband has now reached more than 1 million homes and businesses across the UK.
The £1.7bn nationwide rollout is on track to extend superfast broadband to 95% of UK homes and businesses by 2017. The rate at which the fibre technology is being rolled out under the programme is rapidly accelerating, with up to 40,000 premises gaining access every week.
As a result of the work being done, more than 150,000 homes and businesses across North and West Yorkshire and North and North East Lincolnshire are already able to access the new fibre broadband service the rollout is delivering.
The UK-wide rollout is a key part of the government’s long-term economic plan to secure Britain’s future by providing access to superfast broadband in areas the private sector would not otherwise have reached.
The government says faster broadband will not only improve profits for UK businesses, but will create an additional 56,000 jobs in the UK by 2024.
The work involved in the current roll out is expected to provide a £1.5bn boost to local economies. By 2024, the government’s current investments in faster broadband will be boosting rural economies by £275m every month, or around £9m every day, it says.
The plans will ensure superfast speeds for 95% of the UK. The focus is now on the final 5%, those areas in the most remote and hardest to reach places in the UK that are not covered by existing plans.
Culture secretary Sajid Javid said: “More than a million homes and businesses have now benefitted as a result of Government’s investment in superfast broadband.
“It is totally transforming the way we live and work. You can download feature length films faster, chat online with family and friends around the world, and households can go online simultaneously without the connection slowing down or dropping out.
“For Businesses, superfast speeds are boosting profits through increased sales, reduced overheads and accessing markets abroad for the first time.”
