More than 180 business parks across Dorset benefit from superfast broadband

Superfast Dorset and BT today announced that they had brought high-speed fibre broadband to more than 180 business parks across the county.

The multi million pound Superfast Dorset partnership between Dorset councils, the Government and BT is continuing to make strong progress having already made superfast broadband available to 94 per cent of homes and businesses in the county.

Of the more than 180 Dorset business parks which now have access to superfast fibre broadband, about three quarters benefitted from the Superfast Dorset roll-out, whilst the remainder were included in the commercial programme funded entirely by BT.

The rapid roll-out of the high-speed technology is giving a much needed boost to the local economy in some of the most rural areas of the county. Among those benefitting are the businesses on the Hybris Business Park in Crossways, near Dorchester.

Martin Case, managing director of international clothing brand Martildo, runs his business from the park. He said: “Being an online fashion retailer, having a decent broadband connection is vital to our business. We are competing for sales worldwide so it’s critical that our connection is both reliable and speedy.

“Almost all of our business functions rely on the internet. We use state of the art software to list and manage our inventory, smart phones in the warehouse for our pickers to locate and pack items and cloud based software which links directly to our carriers and prints dispatch labels along with barcodes and tracking numbers. All of the above systems are cloud based, meaning we can access and use these services from anywhere in the world.

“We also do a lot of work with high definition images. Having worked with slower broadband, uploading and editing these images can take a long time if the connection speed isn’t up to the demands of our business.”

Colin Jamieson, Dorset County Council cabinet member for economy and growth, said: “Fast and reliable broadband is crucial for Dorset’s economic growth. More businesses than ever on the county’s rural trading estates and business parks can make the most of this important technology. Key benefits include faster data transfer between users, better access to customers and the ability to work collaboratively with others on a global scale, including the effective use of video conferencing. Fibre broadband makes it possible for high tech jobs in rural areas to flourish!”

Paul Coles, BT South West regional manager, said: “The availability of this exciting technology at business parks across Dorset will play a vital role in the future success and prosperity of the county. High speed broadband is a major tool in helping today’s businesses attract new customers and work more efficiently. Whether you are an established business or a start-up, fibre broadband offers tremendous opportunities.”

The new fibre-based network being rolled out by engineers from Openreach, BT’s local network business, is open to all broadband providers on an equal wholesale basis so local businesses and households can benefit from competitive products and prices from a wide range of providers.

The Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) technology – capable of speeds up to 80Mbps - can boost the competitiveness of local businesses, helping them to find new opportunities and customers, while opening up a host of new learning, entertainment and development opportunities for households.

ENDS

About the Superfast Dorset project

Superfast Dorset is a partnership between BT, the Department of Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), Dorset County Council, Bournemouth Borough Council, the Borough of Poole, Christchurch Borough Council, East Dorset District Council, North Dorset District Council, Purbeck District Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

Partner contributions:

DCMS - £11.7m

BT - £13.29m

Dorset councils - £12.3m

Breakdown of local authority allocation:

• Dorset County Council - £8,633,473
• West Dorset District Council - £1,487,207
• Christchurch Borough Council - £100,044
• East Dorset District Council - £347,434
• North Dorset District Council - £843,475
• Purbeck District Council - £437,614
• Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - £153,093
• Bournemouth Borough Council - £70,495
• Poole Borough Council - £227,490

The Superfast Dorset project will help to provide:

• 97 per cent of Dorset premises with access to superfast broadband (at least 24Mbps)
• Even more premises with access to fibre broadband (this will offer speeds above 2Mbps)
• 100 per cent of premises with access to greater than 2Mbps, some via other broadband technologies

Further information is available from www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk/superfast

About BDUK

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 per cent 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 further information: https://www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk