£132m BT project for rural broadband
September 30, 2010
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are set to become one of the best connected locations in the world under an ambitious £132 million (E154m) project announced by BT and Cornwall Council and supported by European funding.
The area will benefit from faster broadband thanks to the creation of a high speed network that will be open to all communications providers on a wholesale basis. The aim is to give between 80 and 90 per cent of local businesses and homes access to super-fast fibre broadband by 2014. Fibre to the premise (FTTP) technology will feature heavily with the expectation being that half of local businesses and homes will have access to it. FTTP delivers the UK’s fastest broadband speeds of up to 100Mbps. These are among the best speeds on offer anywhere in the world and will transform the competitiveness of local businesses.
BT said the £132 million project sets an example to other rural areas, showing what can be achieved through partnering and public funding.