First areas named in Shropshire high-speed broadband roll-out
The first rural communities to be connected to high-speed fibre broadband as part of the £24.6 million Connecting Shropshire project were announced today.
Most are in the Shrewsbury area, with about 6,000 homes and businesses in Montford Bridge, Montford, Bicton, Ford, Shrawardine, Pontesbury and Minsterley, as well as businesses in Harlescott, selected for the first phase of the roll-out.
Albrighton, between Telford and Wolverhampton, has also been included in the first phase.
Bill Murphy, managing director of next-generation access for BT Group, said: "This is a very exciting step for these communities because faster fibre broadband can benefit everyone."
It is expected that broadband with speeds of more than 24 megabits per second will be available in these areas by early next year.
A further announcement of areas in the county that will be part of the first phase of the scheme is to be made in January.
The project is being funded by £7.8 million from the Government's Broadband Delivery UK programme, £8.2 million from Shropshire Council and £8.6 million from BT.
More than 62,000 rural homes and businesses will be able to access faster broadband by the end of spring 2016 through the programme, which is designed to benefit areas previously considered to not be commercially viable for connections.
Including commercial fibre broadband roll-outs, it is intended that at least 93 per cent of Shropshire homes and businesses, excluding those in Telford & Wrekin, will have access to fibre broadband and speeds of at least 2mbps by spring 2016, a total of 130,000 premises.
More funding is also being sought to help reach the areas that face missing out on fibre broadband. Connecting Shropshire bosses are hoping to get a slice of £250 million additional funding announced by the Government in June.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for broadband, said: "I'm really pleased that we can announce the first communities to benefit from fibre-based broadband as the programme starts to move from planning and surveying to phase one."
Nick Chavasse, Shropshire Business Board champion for broadband, said: "Fast and reliable broadband connectivity helps businesses of all sizes to prosper in a number of ways, including communicating better and exploiting new market opportunities."
