Cardiff Council hails super-fast broadband funding
The rollout of super-fast broadband to every home and business in Cardiff thanks to a multimillion-pound government investment will keep the Welsh capital competitive, according to the city council.
Cardiff was one of ten municipal areas to benefit from the £100 million Urban Broadband Fund (UBF), which is designed to deliver 1Gbps connectivity to all the city's businesses, plus ultra-fast broadband with speeds of at least 80Mbps to every home.
In addition, a wireless broadband network will be installed across the city, offering residents and visitors access to the internet while out and about.
Rodney Berman, leader of Cardiff Council, welcomed the announcement and backed the broadband rollout to make the city a place where businesses will be keen to invest.
"With plans already underway for Cardiff's central business district as well as the city centre being named as an enterprise zone, it is essential that Cardiff has access to the highest speed broadband to enable us to attract businesses here, boosting investment and bringing more jobs to the city," he commented.
"High-speed broadband is an essential prerequisite for modern businesses."
Across the UK as a whole, the government believes the scheme will deliver faster fixed-line broadband to around 1.7 million premises and 200,000 businesses by 2015, while the wireless infrastructure will be rolled out to almost three million residences.
As well as Cardiff, the UBF is set to benefit Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle, plus the UK's three other capitals - Belfast, Edinburgh and London.
Cardiff has been awarded a guaranteed £7 million to achieve its super-fast broadband ambitions, but could receive an additional £5 million depending on the government's response to more detailed plans that must be submitted by July.
Furthermore, the city council is planning to invest £4 million from separate funding sources to finance the installation of wireless internet services in schools across the capital.
