D2N2 – the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – has welcomed two major schemes that will transform broadband speeds for thousands more businesses across the area.
Derbyshire County Council has announced a £27.67m project after signing a contract with BT to make fibre broadband available to a further 88,000 premises across the county, bringing it to more than 95 per cent of homes and businesses by 2016.
And today Nottinghamshire County Council announced a £20m project with BT to extend high-speed broadband to also 95% of Nottinghamshire homes and businesses by end of March 2016.
D2N2 Chairman Peter Richardson said: “To hear the announcements from Derbyshire County Council and Nottinghamshire County Council is really pleasing and a huge step forward for the D2N2 area.
“From the very first business breakfasts that we held earlier this year, we were hearing stories of the importance for this to be implemented, especially from small businesses in rural areas. We at D2N2 have been making strong representations and supporting the implementation of superfast broadband so this news comes as a welcome boost.
“We have heard many examples, from guest houses in rural areas to farmers, highlighting the need for access to broadband. For their business, superfast broadband is now crucial and the importance of this cannot be underestimated.
“Without question broadband is held in the same infrastructure bracket as roads and railways when it comes to a vital need for businesses.
“Rural communities are especially disadvantaged by the market failure of delivering broadband infrastructure to smaller settlements and there is an increase in the need for rural businesses to use the internet for delivery.
“We will continue to work with existing providers to encourage further provision and delivery because there is no doubt this is a huge priority for the area and something we will continuously champion and support.”
For more information, go to www.derbyshire.gov.uk/digitalderbyshire or www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/broadband
