Latest communities to benefit from multi-million pound connecting Shropshire broadband partnership are announced

Fibre broadband coming soon to 18 more Shropshire communities 

The next communities to benefit from the £24.6 million Connecting Shropshire fibre
broadband partnership were announced today by Shropshire Council and BT.

Alberbury, Aston on Clun, Boningale, Clungunford, Cosford, Cross Lane Head,
Halfway House, Little Brampton, Ploxgreen, Pontesford, Purslow, Quatford, Snailbeach,
Stoke St. Milborough, Upton Magna, Westbury, Withington and Yockleton will be the next
places to get high-speed broadband as part of the programme. Fibre broadband will be
coming soon to these areas with people able to order services from Spring 2014.

Last month Montford Bridge became the first rural community to ‘go live’ as part of
Connecting Shropshire. The programme is gathering momentum with roadside fibre
broadband cabinets going live each week, including in Harlescott, which was announced
earlier this month, with Bicton also now ‘live’. Albrighton, Ford, Minsterley, Montford and

Pontesbury will follow before the end of March. Residents and businesses in these locations
will be able to enjoy broadband download speeds of up to 80 Mbps and uploads of up to 20
Mbps*.

Connecting Shropshire is a partnership between Shropshire Council, BT and the
Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) that will enable more than 62,000 rural or
very rural homes and businesses in Shropshire (excluding Telford and Wrekin) to access
faster broadband.

The combined investment from Connecting Shropshire and BT’s own commercial
programme will mean 93 per cent of homes and businesses in the Shropshire Council area
will have access to fibre broadband by the end of Spring 2016.

Shropshire households and businesses are able to order fibre broadband from a
wide range of internet service providers as the network is open to all providers on an open,
wholesale basis, thereby ensuring competitive prices.

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council Cabinet member responsible for broadband,
said: “It’s great to be able to confirm even more areas as part of the first phase of the
programme. For the people and businesses in these rural communities it’ll mean that they
will be able to gain access to higher broadband speeds sooner than they thought; in this day
and age, it’s becoming ever more important to have fast and reliable broadband to get on in
business and in life.”

Mike Cook, BT’s regional director for the West Midlands, said: “The internet is playing
an increasingly important part in all our lives which is why the strong progress being made
by Connecting Shropshire is so important. Whether it’s small businesses keeping in touch
with their customers and suppliers, children doing their homework or playing interactive
games online, grandparents staying in touch with their grandchildren, or people working from
home. Each of these things is made easier, quicker and better by faster fibre broadband.”

To check whether you can access fibre broadband services contact your service
provider or go to www.connectingshropshire.co.uk

ENDS
Notes to editors
*These are the top wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.

BT’s own commercial rollout of fibre broadband will bring fibre broadband to more than 123,000 homes and businesses across the county by the end of Spring 2014 (includes Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council areas).

Contact

For further information about this news release please contact: Emma Tennant at the BT Regional press office on 0800 085 0660 or email: emma.tennant@bt.com (All BT news releases can be read at www.bt.com/newscentre) or
Callum McLagan at the Shropshire Council press office on 01743 255939 or email callum.mclagan@shropshire.gov.uk (All Shropshire Council news stories can be read at http://shropshire.gov.uk/news/)

Connecting Shropshire programme website: http://connectingshropshire.co.uk/

About Connecting Shropshire

Connecting Shropshire is the name given to the programme bringing fibre based broadband to areas where it isn’t economically viable for commercial companies to provide it. It is a partnership between Shropshire Council, BT and Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) that will enable more than 62,000 homes and businesses in Shropshire (excluding Telford and Wrekin) to access faster broadband by the end of Spring 2016.
When added to BT’s commercial roll-out, 93 per cent of premises in the Shropshire Council area will have access to fibre based broadband by the end of Spring 2016. All premises in the programme area will be provided with access to a basic level of broadband (a minimum of 2mbps).