BT Sign GBP13.8m Deal to Deploy Superfast Broadband in Hampshire UK

The Hampshire County Council (HCC) has today signed a state aid supported £13.8m contract with BT to make super-fast broadband (24Mbps+) ISP connectivity available to “at least” 90% of all local premises by the end of 2015 (i.e. around 57,000 homes and businesses in the county).

As usual the government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) office will supply £5 million of the investment, which has been matched by the local authorities, and BT will then add an additional £3.8 million of its own funding in order to deploy its latest up to 80Mbps FTTC and 330Mbps FTTP technologies.

The last 10% of local premises can expect to receive download speeds of at last 2Mbps (Megabits) using both fixed line solutions and other alternative methods, such as some unspecified “future fibre innovations“.

Ken Thornber, Leader of Hampshire County Council, said:

“This is a great day for Hampshire and it marks the culmination of many months of hard work. I am very pleased that BT can now start work on putting in the necessary infrastructure that will benefit so many businesses and households, predominantly located in the less populated and ‘harder to reach’ areas of Hampshire.

Access to the internet and fast broadband is crucial to the on-going social and economic prosperity of the region. Putting in this network infrastructure is as important as other major transport infrastructures like roads, rail, and airports. This exciting development will ensure that Hampshire continues to be a great place to live, work and thrive.”

The first communities to benefit are expected to have access to the high-speed technology by the end of 2013. One of the first to get new connectivity will be the Solent Enterprise Zone, which is being developed at Daedalus in Lee-on-the-Solent (a former airfield of the Royal Navy).