BT confirms North Yorks fibre broadband plans

BT and North Yorkshire County Council have confirmed the first two communities set to benefit from the Superfast North Yorkshire rural broadband project.

Amotherby and Ainderby Steeple have been chosen as the first locations to feature in the countywide next-generation broadband rollout, followed closely by other local towns and villages.

By spring 2013, the public-private broadband partnership aims to bring faster internet access to more than 11,000 homes and businesses in the area.

North Yorkshire is the first county to deploy funding from Broadband Delivery UK, the government agency established with a view to boosting connectivity outside of major towns and cities.

Over the course of the Superfast North Yorkshire project, around £70 million will be spent on the installation of fibre optic broadband networks, bringing the technology to 90 per cent of local properties by the end of 2014.

A total of 365,000 premises will be connected once the rollout is complete.

Mike Galvin, managing director of network investment at BT's Openreach arm, said: "We are already working with the county council to develop innovative ways of delivering faster service through collaborative projects to see if fibre can be extended further."