News

South Yorkshire to get super-fast broadband internet

By Kyle Christie
Published: 08/05/2009

A super-fast broadband scheme will be available to homes and business across the South Yorkshire region thanks to a Â£90million investment.

The Digital Region scheme will bring a 25-megabyte connection to Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, and Rotherham by the end of 2009. It is expected to be fully completed in three years’ time. It was approved as part of the Government’s recent budget.

The first area to benefit will be Doncaster, with further infrastructure following on.

When finished, the scheme could potentially be the largest open-access broadband infrastructure platform in the world.

Work on fibre optic cable infrastructure is set to begin straight away.

Trevor Shaw, Executive Director of Finance at Yorkshire Forward, said: "Ensuring Yorkshire and Humber is at the forefront of digital technologies has always been a priority of ours as the region’s Development Agency and a vital part of developing our economy, which is especially important in light of the current economic climate."

The faster connection should enable more flexible working practices at home, as well as assisting in the delivery of healthcare, education and other public services.

For home users the streaming of live sporting events should be much more reliable as a result of the faster connection.

When complete, it will also enable broadband users to "get what they pay for" in terms of connection speed.

Rosie Winterton, Minister for Yorkshire and The Humber, said "This £90million programme will provide super-fast broadband services to over one million people in this part of the region, benefiting families and businesses alike as early as next year."

The scheme is being run by Yorkshire Forward and local authorities, and is being partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

It follows the Government’s Digital Britain report, which was published in interim form in January and envisioned the next-generation of high-speed broadband across the country.

Rate this article