Go Digital Newcastle UK Begins Phase One BT Fibre Broadband Rollout

The £3.8m Go Digital Newcastle project, which aims to make BT’s “high-speed fibre broadband” service available to 97% of local homes and businesses in Newcastle-upon-Tyne by the end of Summer 2015, has teamed up with Pupils from Walker Technology College to switch-on its first FTTC street cabinet in Wyedale Way (Walker).

It’s anticipated that around 1,400 local homes and businesses in Walker, Byker, Cochrane Park, Manor Park, Elswick, South Benwell and Fenham will be upgraded to high speed broadband over the next few weeks as part of the project’s Phase One deployment (there are six phases in all).

Admittedly Newcastle might sound quite urban and superfast broadband should already be available to over 70% of the local population, although the area also includes large swathes of semi-urban/rural parts and that’s where much of the investment is likely to focus.

Ged Bell, Newcastle Cabinet member for Investment and Development, said:

“We’re delighted to be here to mark this significant step in the Go Digital Newcastle project. We’re improving superfast broadband availability across the city in six phases between now and next Summer, with this cabinet here in Walker among the first to go live.”

Simon Roberson, BT’s Regional Partnership Director, added:

“Everyday the number of services delivered to us online, whether to entertain, educate or meet our daily needs, is growing, and more and more of them need fast reliable broadband to work properly.

Families are increasingly using the internet to do multiple things all at the same time, such as watching HD (high definition) TV and movies, uploading photos or shopping online. High speed broadband lets it all happen without anything slowing down or stopping. Now really is the time to Go Digital!”

On top of that ISPreview.co.uk has also been told that 75% of premises should get access to superfast (25Mbps+) connectivity and faster “in the intervention area“. We also understand that BTOpenreach’s roll-out will be split, with 91% coming from their slower hybrid-fibre FTTC (up to 80Mbps) service and 9% via ultrafast FTTP (330Mbps).

As a side note, the Go Digital Newcastle project also has a reasonable deployment map (here), although it could do with a little extra detail.