Fibre broadband plans extended in Tyne and Wear

BT has announced plans to roll-out fibre broadband to Jarrow and Kenton, as part of a £2.5bn UK plan.

The firm estimate more than 27,000 businesses and households in the two towns will have access to the service, that will be in place by the end of Spring 2014.

Cllr Joyce McCarty, deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, who has responsibility for Information Technology, said: “This is great news for the people and businesses of Kenton.

“We want to get every home and business in the City connected to broadband and ideally more than 95 per cent to super-fast broadband.

“BT’s investment in this exchange complements our spending in fibre infrastructure further afield than would otherwise have been possible which means more people will have broadband, bringing them a wide range of benefits.”

BT’s local network business, Openreach, is using fibre-to-cabinet (FTTC) technology, where the fibre runs from the exchange to a local roadside cabinet.

Farooq Hakim, BT regional director for the North East, said: “We’re pleased to announce further investment in fibre broadband as part of our continuing commitment to make the technology as widely available as possible. Fast, sophisticated connections are the cornerstone of a successful community, impacting on many aspects of modern life and providing a platform for new businesses and jobs.

“Future-proofed fibre broadband transforms the way people use online services – from entertainment and education to shopping and social networking. It can also enhance the competitiveness of local firms, speeding up the way they do business and giving them access to cost-saving ‘cloud computing’ services.”

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