A £29m scheme to dramatically enhance broadband speeds for North Yorkshire homes and businesses is in its fourth phase, connecting premises in some of the most technologically-isolated areas of the county.
The next stage of the Superfast North Yorkshire programme is targeting the most challenging areas of the county where it has previously not been viable to provide the improved internet connections. But with advancements in technology and the use of a new ultrafast ‘full fibre’ network with speeds of up to one gigabit, premises in deeply rural parts of North Yorkshire are being given faster and more reliable internet links.
North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les said: “The need to provide decent broadband connectivity to rural parts of the county has long been an aspiration of ours.
“The fact that it is now becoming a reality will be of a huge benefit to those communities that have been technologically disadvantaged for so long. We all know how reliable internet connections are so important for everyday life in the 21st century, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone has access to broadband wherever they are based.”
The fourth phase of the Superfast Broadband programme is due for completion next March, with almost 16,000 premises benefitting from vastly improved internet connections.
Executive member for open to business, Cllr Derek Bastiman, whose portfolio includes broadband, said: “The roll-out of superfast broadband is having a profoundly positive impact for tens of thousands of North Yorkshire homes and businesses.
“The latest phase of the project is helping put in place some of the last remaining pieces of the jigsaw to help provide improved connectivity throughout the whole county, including some of the most rural parts of North Yorkshire.”
The first deeply rural area to benefit is centred on Buckden in the Yorkshire Dales. Among those villagers who have been given improved broadband connections is Gill Huck, who lives at Church Farm in Stubbing Lane in Hubberholme. Mrs Huck runs the 1,800-acre farm, which has 1,000 sheep and 100 cattle, with her husband, John, and their son, James, and his wife, Lucy.
Mrs Huck said: “To have the improved connection to the internet has really changed our lives. Before the connections were a lot slower and had a habit of dropping out, but now we have the peace of mind that we can actually access the internet when we want.
“It has helped so much with the running of the farm when we need to order supplies or fill out forms online – the internet is not something that is simply the preserve of towns and cities, and it is part of modern life wherever you live.”
The latest phase of the project is being managed by NYnet, a company owned by North Yorkshire Council, and run by Quickline Communications, a rural broadband provider based in Willerby near Hull.
NYnet CEO Alastair Taylor said: “So much work has been undertaken to address poor internet connections across the whole county. The fourth phase of the project will be a gamechanger for thousands of rural businesses and residents and highlights our commitment to delivering superfast internet speeds to all of North Yorkshire.”
Research has shown that connecting everyone in the UK to full fibre broadband by 2025 could remove 300 million commuter trips, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 360,000 tonnes each year. A fibre optic cable can send a signal over 120 miles without any significant loss of quality, while traditional copper cables can lose signal at just a mile.
