World-class broadband set for Lancashire

By LBV

04 Apr 2012

The people of Lancashire will be the first to benefit from funding provided by the government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) after Lancashire County Council (LCC) agreed a £62.5 million project with BT.

This will deliver fibre broadband to parts of the county not covered by commercial deployments and will see the total amount invested in this technology in Lancashire rise to approximately £130 million.

The project will extend access to fibre broadband to 97 per cent of premises by the end of 2014. This will ensure that Lancashire is one of the best connected counties in the UK.

It will also boost the local economy by creating around 2,500 jobs and protecting more than 1,200 jobs over the next few years. The county’s enterprise zones are a key priority as fibre broadband will help local businesses to become more competitive.

The project will also be of significant benefit to those Lancashire premises which currently receive speeds of less than 2Mbps. Ofcom believe that around 15 per cent of premises in Lancashire currently receive less than 2Mbps but that percentage will plummet to virtually zero as the project will ensure they benefit from faster speeds.

BT is already in the process of rolling out fibre broadband to homes and businesses in Lancashire as part of its commercial plan to reach around two-thirds of UK premises with the technology by the end of 2014. The project will extend the company’s fibre network so it covers the vast majority of areas in Lancashire that are not viable to supply on a commercial basis alone.

BT’s network will be open to all communications providers on an equal wholesale basis and so Lancashire consumers and businesses will benefit from a highly competitive market.

For local businesses, the super-fast network will underpin the introduction of many new services and applications. Users will be able to run multiple bandwidth-hungry applications at the same time and send and receive large amounts of data much more quickly and efficiently.

Computer processing and storage of files will also become more sophisticated and secure using “cloud computing” technology. There will be faster back up of computer systems and wider use of high quality videoconferencing within firms and between them and their customers.

Edwin Booth, Chairman of Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, said: “This is incredibly important for the success of the Lancashire economy. The project will transform the broadband landscape across the county and ensure that local businesses can become global businesses. It will ensure that firms remain here and it will also attract a more diverse range of high growth, high value companies to the county.”

Geoff Driver, Leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “Today our ambition to provide Lancashire's citizens and business with a world-class broadband service turns into a reality. It is important that as many areas as possible benefit, and that is why we have ensured that even the more remote areas of the county see a significant improvement in their speeds.”
 

Enjoyed this? Read more from LBV

Latest news

1

Supermarket stays put in blow to town's £250m masterplan Blackburn Aerial

Supermarket stays put in blow to town's £250m masterplan

28 Mar 2024

2

Modern Milkman acquires American counterpart article placeholder listing image

Modern Milkman acquires American counterpart

28 Mar 2024

3

Tips for surviving Lancashire's pothole plague

Tips for surviving Lancashire's pothole plague

28 Mar 2024

4

The Pikes wines launched to support Lake District mountain rescue THE PIKES BLOG BANNER.jpg.jpg

The Pikes wines launched to support Lake District mountain rescue

28 Mar 2024

5

Fundraising success sees Stanley Women compete in Dallas Cup The Accrington Stanley Under 18s team which are currently in Dallas.jpg.jpg

Fundraising success sees Stanley Women compete in Dallas Cup

28 Mar 2024

Hwc 2024 Email Signature 980x120
Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Reach 50,000 members of the Lancashire business community

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Company profile
Social reach
Magazine coverage
Sign-up
Events
Health and Wellbeing Conference 2024
Hwc 2024 Social Media 1200px 1
Networking
23 Apr 2024

Health and Wellbeing Conference 2024

Crow Wood Hotel, Burnley , BB12 0RT

08:30 - 13:00

Business Networking in Preston - BNI Brunch
EVENT LISTING SIZING Brunch .png.png
LBV Hub Networking
29 Mar 2024

Business Networking in Preston - BNI Brunch

Samlesbury Preston Hotel, Preston New Road, Preston, PR5 0UL

09:30 - 11:00

Business Networking in Blackburn - BNI Infinity
EVENT LISTING BNI Infinity.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
29 Mar 2024

Business Networking in Blackburn - BNI Infinity

Hampton by Hilton, 2 Frontier Ave, Blackburn, BB1 3AL

06:30 - 08:30

Business Networking in Chorley - BNI Endeavour
EVENT LISTING SIZING Endeavour.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
02 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Chorley - BNI Endeavour

Oak Royal, Bury Lane, Chorley, PR6 8SW

06:30 - 08:30

Business Networking in Blackburn - BNI Vista
EVENT LISTING SIZING Vista.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
02 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Blackburn - BNI Vista

Hampton by Hilton, 2 Frontier Ave, Blackburn, BB1 3AL

06:45 - 08:30

Business Networking in Accrington - BNI Zeus
EVENT LISTING SIZING Zeus.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
03 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Accrington - BNI Zeus

The Mill House, Corn Mill Yard, Accrington, BB5 5HX

06:45 - 08:30

Business Networking in Preston - BNI Diamond
EVENT LISTING BNI Diamond.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
03 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Preston - BNI Diamond

The Marriot Hotel, Garstang Road, Broughton, PR3 5JB

07:15 - 09:00

Business Networking in Lancaster - Eden Business Network
EVENT LISTING Eden Business Network.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
03 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Lancaster - Eden Business Network

The Borough, 3 Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PP

18:30 - 20:30

Business Networking in Burnley - BNI Kudos
EVENT LISTING BNI Kudos.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
04 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Burnley - BNI Kudos

Prairie Sports Village, Windemere Avenue, Burnley, BB10 2FU

06:45 - 08:30

Business Networking in Lancaster - BNI Castle
EVENT LISTING BNI Castle.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
04 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Lancaster - BNI Castle

Vale of Lune RUFC, Powder House Lane, Lancaster, LA1 2TT

06:45 - 08:30

Business Networking in Preston - BNI Brunch
EVENT LISTING SIZING Brunch .png.png
LBV Hub Networking
05 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Preston - BNI Brunch

Samlesbury Preston Hotel, Preston New Road, Preston, PR5 0UL

09:30 - 11:00

Business Networking in Blackburn - BNI Infinity
EVENT LISTING BNI Infinity.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
05 Apr 2024

Business Networking in Blackburn - BNI Infinity

Hampton by Hilton, 2 Frontier Ave, Blackburn, BB1 3AL

06:30 - 08:30

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more Lbv115 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin