Faster broadband now available in Great Ayton

More than 2,600 homes and businesses now benefiting from roll-out programme; 

Superfast North Yorkshire welcomes new development 

Faster broadband is now available to more than 2,600 more homes and businesses in Great Ayton, BT announced today. 

Great Ayton is the latest community in the county to benefit from upgrades as part of the roll-out of BT’s enhanced broadband service delivered over copper lines. 

The BT investment will make available download speeds of up to 20 megabits per second (Mbps) – more than double the fastest speed previously available from BT. 

The new service is now accessible in more than 50 locations across the county and is available on an open, wholesale basis to all companies providing broadband*. 

Councillor Carl Les, chairman of superfast North Yorkshire, said: “This investment is fantastic news for Great Ayton. It’s good to see another North Yorkshire community benefiting from the roll-out of faster broadband, through the upgrade of BT’s copper network. 

“This technology will create new opportunities, giving our businesses a competitive edge as well as opening new doors for people of every age and background.” 

Trevor Higgins, BT’s regional partnership director for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Increasingly, broadband is an essential part of everyday life, whether you’re Christmas shopping online, sharing photographs and videos with the family, working in an office or as a homeworker, improving your education or just wanting to download a film or programme online. 

“It has the power to transform every aspect of our lives and is a vital part of ensuring the future prosperity of communities across the county.” 

This investment in the copper network is in addition to BT’s £2.5 billion roll-out of fibre-based broadband - which will bring even faster speeds to around two-thirds of UK premises during Spring 2014. 

It is also in addition to the roll-out of fibre broadband in the county by Superfast North Yorkshire, an ambitious partnership between North Yorkshire County Council and BT aiming to make world class broadband speeds available to 90 per cent of North Yorkshire homes and businesses by the end of 2014. 

North Yorkshire is the first county in the UK successfully to deploy Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) funds. This, alongside ERDF1 funding, will be used to extend the roll-out of fibre broadband across the county. The project will reach those areas outside of BT’s commercial roll-out using a partnership approach to ensure all communities have access to the fastest possible broadband speeds. 

Note to Editors 

*Once an exchange area has been upgraded for next generation broadband, some service providers automatically upgrade their customers to the enhanced broadband service. People should contact their chosen service provider for more information about the products and services they offer.