Rothwell boosted to superfast speeds

A market town in south east Leeds can now benefit from superfast, fibre broadband speeds thanks to Superfast West Yorkshire.

Rothwell is the latest of many communities to be upgraded to superfast broadband as part of the multi million pound partnership.

Six fibre broadband cabinets have been installed in the town, enabling around 1,300 homes and businesses to access the new fibre technology, which delivers download speeds of up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps¹

Deputy leader and executive member for resources and strategy for Leeds City Council, Cllr James Lewis, said: “So many people treat broadband now as the fourth utility, so it’s great to hear that Rothwell now has access to faster and more reliable speeds.

“In Leeds, we now have many more premises able to access fibre broadband, with thousands more to be delivered before the programme ends at the end of September 2015.”

The arrival of faster broadband brings many benefits to the town. Fibre broadband at home means everyone in the family can do their own thing online, all at the same time, whether it’s downloading music in minutes or watching catch-up TV; streaming HD or 3D movies in a few minutes; or posting photos and videos to social networking sites in seconds. Fibre improves the quality of online experiences and supports new developments in internet services.
Benefits for businesses include faster file and data transfers, better access to cloud computing services and software, more sophisticated web-based contact with customers and support for more flexible working.

In order to take advantage of the higher speeds now available, residents and businesses should contact their broadband service provider.

Tom Keeney, BT’s regional director for Yorkshire and Humber, said: “BT has led the roll out of superfast broadband in the UK and, working in partnership with Superfast West Yorkshire, is playing a huge part in helping Leeds become one of the best connected cities in the UK.

“Local people may have noticed our green street cabinets being installed. This everyday street furniture is where the magic happens. As millions of UK households and businesses have discovered, fibre broadband opens up a whole new world to internet users. “We are very focused not just on delivering the high-speed infrastructure but making sure that the benefits are fully exploited. I would encourage people to contact the service provider of their choice to find out what faster internet could do for them.”

More than 59,000homes and businesses in West Yorkshire are now able to connect to high-speed fibre broadband as a result of the Superfast West Yorkshire programme which is due to complete by the end of September 2015.

Superfast West Yorkshire builds on BT’s commercial investment of £2.5 billion to rollout fibre broadband to two-thirds of UK premises. Leeds City Council, Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Wakefield Council and Calderdale Council are working with BT to extend high-speed fibre broadband to 97 per cent of households and businesses across the majority of West Yorkshire by the end of 2015.[1]The programme also aims to ensure all premises in this area have access to speeds of more than 2Mbps.

The £21.96 million investment is made up of Government funding from Broadband Delivery UK combined with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), BT and four West Yorkshire local authorities.

The new network is available on open, wholesale basis to all broadband service providers, thereby ensuring competitive products and pricing for local businesses and households.

For more information about the project or to find out when superfast broadband will be delivered in your area visit www.get-fibre.co.uk

ENDS

¹These are the top wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.

For further information please contact Cat Lindley, marketing and communications officer for Superfast West YorkshireonTel: 0113 3957567 or theBT Regional Press Office on 0800 085 0660.

Notes to editors:

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:

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

About Superfast West Yorkshire

Superfast West Yorkshire is jointly funded by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007-2013, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, BT, and West Yorkshire’s five Local Authorities – Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield Councils. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visitwww.communities.gov.uk/erdf

The initiative, which is supported by the Leeds City Region Partnership, will ensure more businesses and residents across West Yorkshire get access to fibre broadband.

Superfast West Yorkshire aims to stimulate demand for superfast broadband across West Yorkshire and will also deliver a Business Support Programme to support businesses to maximise the opportunities superfast broadband can provide.