MORE than 120,000 homes and businesses in Cumbria now have fibre-optic broadband, new figures show.
The proportion of premises with a fast connection has doubled in the past year from 13.8 to 29.5 per cent.
Much of the increase is down to the success of Connecting Cumbria, a multi-million pound partnership between Cumbria County Council and BT.
David Southward, the council’s cabinet member responsible for economic development, said: “So much we do these days relies on a fast internet connection whether we’re at home or at work.
“And demand for better, faster broadband in Cumbria is clear – in the past year twice as many homes and businesses have signed-up to use the new technology installed as part of the Connecting Cumbria programme.”
Some of the most recent areas to benefit from the fibre broadband rollout include Wigton, Pooley Bridge, Dockray and Grayrigg.
All of the engineering work as part of Connecting Cumbria is being carried out by BT's Openreach.
When an area has gone ‘live’ for fibre, people need to contact their service provider to upgrade as it doesn’t happen automatically. Because the network is ‘open’, they have a wide choice of fibre broadband providers. To check availability, visit www.connectingcumbria.org.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here