Nottinghamshire programme 'a full year ahead' of government broadband targets

Latest figures released by the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire programme have revealed that 90 per cent of properties in Newark and Sherwood now have access to superfast broadband.

These numbers show the programme is a full year ahead of Government targets and means that 96.5 per cent of homes and businesses in Newark, 92 per cent in Southwell and 97.5 per cent in Bingham now have access to these superfast internet speeds.

These numbers are encouraging and mark an increase in properties that have access to fast broadband connections; in 2014 the figures were less than half current percentages. The second phase will extend superfast broadband connections to over 98 per cent of all properties by 2018. This will see a further 130 towns and villages either connected to superfast broadband or given increased speeds.

The figures have been welcomed by business leaders in the region including James Fountain, managing director of web design firm Bazzoo, who campaigned for better access to faster internet speeds as chairman of Newark Business Club's action group.

Mr Fountain, in an interview with the Newark Advertiser, said: “It is essential for businesses to have good broadband connections, particularly small, rural businesses. While the coverage is good in some areas, there are some that are more isolated, and it’s important we continue to try to get them good connections.

“There’s a lot of creative industry in rural areas, and they will communicate with their clients by Skype and send large files and if they can’t do that it slows down production. We need to continue to work hard to make sure the isolated areas are covered. It’s made a big difference to our business and how efficient we are because we move lots of files around to clients."

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(Image: Kings Sutton)