Superfast Leicestershire fibre broadband signups top 50 per cent

More than half of all homes and businesses reached by the multi-million pound Superfast Leicestershire broadband programme are now using fibre broadband.

Figures, released by Openreach, reveal that the number of people who have signed-up to the scheme has passed the 50 per cent mark.

The project, led by Leicestershire County Council in partnership with BT Group, has now made superfast speeds available to more than 70,000 premises, and remains on course to extend that reach to a further 5,000 premises by the end of 2018.

Leader of the council, Nick Rushton, said: “This is great news, we are really proud to offer a resource that the public are finding so useful and transformative.

“Our aspiration is to have a county that’s well connected, thriving, ambitious, and fit for all the challenges and opportunities the future presents. We are well on our way to achieving this with more than 500 broadband cabinets now connected.

“I urge people to check their connection on the Superfast Leicestershire website as 70,000 properties across the county and city can already access this fantastic resource.”

The Superfast Leicestershire team, led by their Flash the Fibre Fox broadband mascot, are keen to remind residents that upgrading to fibre broadband doesn’t happen automatically. To benefit from faster speeds, people first need to check online if their area has been fibre enabled, before getting in touch with their broadband provider.

Steve Henderson, Openreach’s regional director for next generation access, said: “We are really pleased to see so many people signing up to access superfast broadband. It shows the importance of our work, in partnership with the county council to make the technology widely available, particularly in rural areas. 

"Faster broadband speeds are such an important part of everyday life, and essential for many small businesses. We know there’s more to do, and some communities are still waiting to be connected, and we look forward to going even further in the future.”

The most recent parts of Leicestershire to benefit from superfast fibre broadband include Appleby, Rolleston and Wistow, who are getting a fibre connection for the very first time.

For more information about Superfast Leicestershire visit www.superfastleicestershire.org.uk or look out for #SuperfastLeics on Twitter.