Superfast Cornwall 'Big Build' will start to deliver high-speed technology to East Cornwall including Liskeard, Callington, Launceston and Bude by December
90,000 homes and businesses to have access to superfast broadband by end of March
Superfast broadband is coming to nine communities in East Cornwall at least three months early as the first major phase of the pioneering Superfast Cornwall initiative kicks off ahead of schedule.
The high-speed technology is expected to start to become available in Liskeard, Callington, Launceston, Dobwalls, Bude, Kilkhampton, Marhamchurch (near Widemouth Bay), Drakewalls (near Gunnislake) and North Hill (near Coads Green) by December. None of these areas had previously been due to 'go live' before the end of March 2012 - and Dobwalls had actually been scheduled for 2013.
The upgrading of the nine communities is just the beginning of the first major phase of the roll-out, which will see the high-speed technology becoming available to a total of 90,000 Cornish homes and businesses by the end of March.
Superfast Cornwall, the partnership between BT, the European Union, Cornwall Council and Cornwall Development Company responsible for constructing the new network, has dubbed the huge engineering operation the 'Big Build'. The Big Build includes the laying of 130,000 kilometres of optical fibre, the upgrading of 100 telephone exchanges and the installation of about 500 new green roadside cabinets to make Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly one of the best connected places in the world.
And by the end of 2014 at least 80 per cent of premises in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are expected to have access to optical fibre broadband with alternative technologies, such as wireless and satellite, being used to boost speeds in those locations where fibre is not currently viable.
Chris Ridgers, the portfolio holder for economy and regeneration for Cornwall Council, said: "We have been committed to starting the first main phase of the superfast broadband roll-out in the East of Cornwall, and I'm delighted that it's coming sooner than previously expected to these communities. This is great news - it will give local businesses a much deserved boost and help the economy of South East Cornwall at a crucial time of the year."
Nigel Ashcroft, programme director of Superfast Cornwall for Cornwall Development Company, said: "To build a fibre optic broadband network on this scale is a massive undertaking, never before attempted in such a rural location. The Big Build represents the biggest single investment in the Cornish telecoms infrastructure since it was first constructed. Of course, this won't happen overnight - it will take more than three years to roll-out this exciting programme to all 250,000 premises in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, and this announcement shows we are making an excellent start on the first phase."
Carleen Kelemen, director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "This pioneering initiative has huge significance for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It is the largest ever single European Regional Development Fund investment in superfast broadband infrastructure and a 'once in a lifetime' unprecedented level of investment. This programme is the next stage of our journey to prepare Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to make the best of 21st Century connectivity. Construction and engineering on this scale has been made possible by combining the support of the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) Convergence programme with the power of the private sector."
Jon Reynolds, BT's South West regional director, said: "We are working hard to make faster broadband available to as many homes and businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as quickly as possible. As the engineering and survey work progressed we found it was possible to start in these exchange areas earlier than expected. It's a great Christmas present for the homes and businesses in these communities! Superfast Cornwall is an excellent example to other parts of the UK of the private and public sectors working together to achieve great results. Over the coming months this first major phase of the roll-out will make superfast broadband available to a further 700 Cornish homes and businesses each day."
Superfast broadband will be delivered as 'fibre to the cabinet' (FTTC) and 'fibre to the premises' (FTTP). BT's local network business Openreach recently announced that it expected to roughly double the download speeds of FTTC to up to 80Mbps next year. Upload speeds, already the fastest in the UK, will also improve with up to 20Mbps being likely. Even faster speeds of up to 110Mbps are available with FTTP. And from next Spring FTTP download speeds will be boosted to up to 300Mbps.
A pilot phase of the programme has already made super-fast broadband available in the Chacewater/Chiverton Cross, St Agnes, St Day, Portreath, Devoran, Leedstown, Stenalees and Par areas.
Up to £53.5 million of the funding is coming from ERDF Convergence, the largest ever single European investment in broadband infrastructure, whilst BT is investing up to £78.5 million.
Customers can find out more about the Superfast Cornwall Big Build and get the latest information about their area at www.superfastcornwall.org
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For further information
Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Regional Press Office on 0800 085 0660 or Cornwall Development Company on 01209 311104. All news releases can be accessed at: http://www.btplc.com/News.
For further information on the Superfast Cornwall programme visit www.superfastcornwall.org
Notes to Editors
Superfast fibre optic broadband can be delivered as "fibre to the cabinet" (FTTC) or "fibre to the premises" (FTTP). FTTC is where the fibre connection is from the exchange to the street side cabinet with the remainder of the connection being over copper. FTTC provides download speeds of up to 40Mbps and upload speeds of up to 10Mbps. Technical improvements should see these headline speeds roughly double during 2012. FTTP is where the fibre connection runs all the way from the exchange to the customers premises. This technology provides download speeds of up to 110Mbps and upload speeds of up to 30Mbps. And from next Spring FTTP download speeds will be boosted to up to 300Mbps.
BT believes that both services can provide substantially higher speeds in the future if there is sufficient commercial demand for higher speeds.
Further information about next generation broadband is available from www.bt.com/ngb
About the Convergence Programme
The Superfast Cornwall programme is part financed by the European Union with up to £53.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme.
For further information see: www.convergencecornwall.com
Convergence helpline telephone: 0800 0280120.
In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the Convergence programmes are made up of European Regional Development Fund (£374 million) and European Social Fund (£153 million) Convergence Programmes and will run until 2013.
The ERDF Programme investment is intended to boost the region's economy by providing focussed support for business creating better quality, higher paid jobs. This support includes training and access to higher education, strengthening links between academia and business, improved IT infrastructure, additional high quality workspace and specialist support to boost business productivity.
About Cornwall Development Company
Cornwall Development Company Ltd is the economic development company for Cornwall Council and its mission is to achieve sustainable prosperity for all in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Further information is available at www.cornwalldevelopmentcompany.co.uk
About BT
BT is one of the worlds leading providers of communications solutions and services, operating in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.
In the year ended 31 March 2011, BT Group's revenue was £20,076 million with profit before taxation of £1,717 million.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt
About Openreach
Openreach is responsible for the nationwide local BT network which connects homes and businesses across Britain to communications providers' networks. Openreach provides communications providers with services and products associated with that network.
