14 November 2005
Broadband rollout in the UK has continued to gather speed with the news that 99.99 per cent of the south-west will soon be covered after a significant cash injection.
A £1.3 million handout from the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) is to cover the upgrading of 19 rural telephone exchanges in Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire – with the outcome being that high-speed internet provision will rise from its current figure of 90 per cent.
This will prove crucial to both businesses and individual users in the region, and it is expected that more money will soon be made available to make the leap to 100 per cent provision.
According to the BBC, South West RDA's Fabian King said: "Remotely located companies need to be able to conduct business on a level playing field and not be at a disadvantage to their urban competitors."
The move will also be welcomed by the increasing number of key players in the broadband market – with the likes of BSkyB, BT, Carphone Warehouse and Wanadoo having hit the headlines recently with new purchases made or services planned.
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