Cambridgeshire And Peterborough Choose BT For Superfast Broadband Project

Cambridgeshire County Council has chosen BT as its preferred supplier of superfast broadband to rural parts of the region, in a project worth at least £30 million.

Over 90 percent of homes and businesses in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough should have the option of up to 24Mbps broadband by 2015, whilst almost everyone else will have access to at least 2Mbps.

Cambridgeshire County Council put up £20 million of its own money, whilst another £3 million came from Peterborough City Council. Another £6.75 million government funding from BDUK (Broadband Delivery UK).

BT is still the only telecoms company to have won contracts backed by BDUK funds. It had not confirmed how much it was pumping into the project at the time of publication, saying it would only do so once the contract had been given the green light.

Just last month, the telecoms giant announced deals to bring superfast broadband to Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire, as well as the little village of Islip in Oxfordshire.

Superfast broadband

“We are making a significant investment at a time when public finances are under pressure but this is the right thing to do for the people and businesses of Cambridgeshire – for now and in the long term,” said Cambridgeshire County Council leader, councillor Nick Clarke.

“Better broadband connections will also ensure that our rural communities are not left out of the digital world so that people can get access to all the education, health and public services they need without having to travel.”

The contract is due to be signed in March 2013, as procurement is wrapped up and state aid clearances are given from the UK government. Approval has already been given by the European Commission, following an investigation into the BDUK process.

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