Broadband to be accessible for all (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Broadband to be accessible for all

TELECOMS giant BT says it is just months away from completing its broadband map of the south west.

The company says it needs to upgrade just 19 more BT exchanges before everyone in the entire region has access to high-speed internet downloads.

Lizzie Beesley, regional director for BT, said: "Providing broadband for these communities is a vital step in the development of the south west as a centre for e-commerce and high-speed internet communications but work will not stop there.

"The next step is to ensure the technology is adopted as widely as possible to reap maximum benefit.

"We need to demonstrate to internet users that whatever you do online, you can do it better with broadband.

"Once people have tried broadband there really is no going back.

"We also need to bear in mind that even with 100 per cent exchange coverage there may be a very small number of lines typically one in 500 customers will have difficulty accessing broadband due to technical limitations. BT continues to work with its partners to resolve these issues."

The final phase has been made possible by a partnership between BT and the South West of England Regional Development Agency, which is investing £1.3m at 20 locations where broadband had previously not been considered economically viable including the Scilly Isles, which will be given a broadband connection through a hi-tech microwave link.

It is expected that around 4,000 south west homes and businesses will benefit from the new high speed access.

Steve Dye, of Cricklade-based Digital Trading Solutions, said: "Broadband's greater connection's speeds are extremely valuable for internet users at home and those in business and could potentially change the way we work and solve some of the serious issues that we all face each day.

"The problems in the south west with congestion on the roads and the railways could be solved through the use of broadband in the home.

"Because increased speeds and closer integration could mean that more and more people will be able to work from home rather than having to take that 30-mile slog into work each day."

In 2003, villages all over Wiltshire began campaigns for broadband links, and people were urged to register their interest by typing in their telephone number into BT's website.

Anthony Osborne