Swindon Council is stumping up £1.5 million to bring superfast broadband to 95 per cent of the town.
The delivery of new, faster internet will cost £3m, with both the government and council putting forward £1.5m to fincance the roll-out.
The scheme will be implemented with the help of the BDUK (Broadband Delivery for the UK) project that aims to bring superfast broadband to rural areas around the country.
“I’m thrilled that the hundreds of people who signed my petition showed the strength of feeling, and that the demand for these services exists.”
Dale Heenan, the cabinet member for strategic planning and sustainability explained that for many residents and businesses in the area, the need for fast broadband internet is no different to having access to a utility like water and gas.
He also said the availability of faster broadband can increase house prices in the area, adding an extra benefit to Swindon’s economy.
Companies will be invited to bid to complete the works in the coming months and work is scheduled to start within a year.
BDUK has connected a number of towns and cities around the UK over the last year and all of these jobs have been carried out by Openreach, BT’s network arm.
Recent work has seen BT having to contend with the difficult terrain of the Scilly Isles and the Outer Hebrides and, in North Yorkshire, the local wildflife.
In all of the projects BT has snapped up, the majority of homes and businesses stand to get access to FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet), while a smaller number of locations will be able to get faster and more future-proof FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) connections.
As part of the Superfast South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire BDUK scheme, 91 per cent of premises across Wiltshire and due to be connected to superfast broadband. It’s currently unknown how many of these premises are located in Swindon.
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