More than 70,000 Derbyshire homes and businesses are accessing better broadband for the first time now that a multi-million pound scheme – part-funded by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership – is more than three-quarters complete.
County project Digital Derbyshire is being funded by £2.2m from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, £2.5m from the European Regional Development Fund, £5m from Derbyshire County Council, £9.7m from the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK funds and £15.2m from BT.
The scheme aims to provide 95% of Derbyshire premises with access to fibre broadband by the end of 2016.
Phase One of the Digital Derbyshire project will eventually provide more than 88,000 premises with access to fibre optic broadband.
A second £7m phase aimed at more hard to reach communities – and using additional funding from the D2N2 LEP, central Government and BT – will extend overall coverage to more than 100,000 premises by the end of 2018.
Digital Derbyshire builds on the private sector’s roll-out of fibre broadband. BT has made high-speed fibre broadband available to around 360,000 Derbyshire homes and businesses.
Local people are being urged to check whether better, faster broadband is now available in their area. Recent additions have seen fibre broadband made available in Bakewell, Darley Dale and Hope; with digital broadband boxes popping up in Derbyshire villages (as pictured).
Government Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: “Our roll-out of superfast broadband across Derbyshire is making tremendous progress and is on track to reach 95% of the county by the end of next year.”
The new network is being delivered by BT Openreach, which operates in partnership with a range of digital communications providers.
Media needing further information about the work of the D2N2 LEP can contact D2N2 Communications Officer Sean Kirby on 0115 9578749 or email: sean.kirby@d2n2lep.org
