SUPERFAST broadband speeds are coming to individuals and businesses in Oldham thanks to a new project with significant funding from the European Union.
‘Get Digital Faster’ is delivering a new fibre optic cable network across the country through provider BT to give homes and companies broadband speeds of up to 300 megabytes.
31 green network cabinets will be provided in Oldham – including ‘cabinet 12’ which is already live in Saddleworth – to give 3,000 homes and businesses the superfast speeds.
£15million has been invested in the project across Greater Manchester, with one third of the funding coming from BT and two thirds from government and the European Union.
Tony Morgan, BT’s client director for the programme in Manchester, explained: “98 per cent of people in the locality will get access to super fast broadband and that’s very exciting.
“But it doesn’t just happen. It is a new and expanding network that has to be put in place to replace the current copper network.
“And there is a difference in rural areas but technology is moving on all the time and we have things coming next year that will be the next step for that.”
Other providers are also offering the new fibre broadband so homes and businesses should check to see if they can upgrade and take advantage of the new speeds.
Mr Morgan added that the new network will be a big boost to small businesses, offering quicker speeds and improved efficiency to help them thrive in a digital age.
“A big chunk of capital came from the EU for the project and they insisted it had to be invested to help small businesses,” he explained.
“It is also about getting SMEs to think about how they can use web and social media to grow their business and reach a wider audience as these days everybody is online.
“A lot of the younger generation know all about that but it’s about showing how it can be a really good tool for established SMEs too.”
Find out more and see when fibre broadband will be available in your area at: www.get-digital-faster.info
For more information about the project in Oldham, contact Regeneration Officer Louise Slater at: louise.slater@oldham.gov.uk or call 0161 770 1671.
You must be logged in to post a comment.