All Sections

Herts and Bucks villages get upgraded to fibre

Four villages in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire have been upgraded to fibre as part of the respective county’s superfast broadband projects. 

A roadside cabinet has been installed in the villages of Butlers Cross and Ellesborough and has now gone live; meaning the 200 residents of these places can now enjoy superfast broadband. 

It is the first of more than 180 in the county to be upgraded in a move that will see 38,500 homes and businesses in region passed by fibre. 

Buckinghamshire County Council Leader Martin Tett told the Bucks Herald that the high quality, high speed broadband is essential for companies. 

“We’re determined that in Buckinghamshire we’ll make this available, so that we’re in the forefront for all our businesses.” 

Butler’s Cross is the start of the first phase in the Connected Counties project (which also covers neighbouring Hertfordshire) which will see an initial 30 cabinets in Bucks installed in rural areas.

In Hertfordshire, the first cabinets in the villages of Hertingfordbury and Birch Green have been switched on. Hertfordshire County Council signed a contract with BT last June to make broadband available to 14,000 homes and businesses in the county by March 2016.

Communications minister Ed Vaizey said: “Today marks the next stage in the transformation of broadband in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.”

“More than 52,500 homes and businesses across the two counties will benefit from access to superfast speeds by the end of March 2016 as a result of Government’s investment, providing a huge boost to the local economy.”

Bill Murphy, BT’s managing director of next generation access, said it was “great news” for both counties.

“Fibre broadband opens new horizons and helps us to be more efficient, keeping us in touch with vital services. Fast broadband provides strong and reliable connections to the rest of the world. Local businesses have the opportunity to grow, attracting investment and boosting the local economy.”

Image: Geograph/Rob Farrow

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *