WEST Oxfordshire is set to be one of the first districts in the UK to be fully connected to superfast broadband, it has been announced.
The project, managed by Cotswolds Broadband, will cover the most rural and hard-to-reach areas enabling all homes and businesses to benefit and to be at the forefront of the latest technology.
This follows the formal sign-off of a £1.6m grant by the government. West Oxfordshire District Council is also investing £1.6m in the form of a loan with another £3.2m private investment from firm ISP Gigaclear.
District councillor Richard Langridge, who is leading the broadband project at the council, said: “We have long held the belief that homes and businesses shouldn’t have to sacrifice being at the forefront of the digital and technological age simply for living in a beautiful rural area.
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“West Oxfordshire has an incredibly strong business community that deserves to be able to perform alongside the best in the world. This project will ensure no one is left in the slow lane and future-proof businesses' digital capabilities.”
Work is expected to start in 2016, with all homes and businesses in the district being served before the end of 2017.
Currently superfast broadband is being delivered in up to 90 per cent of homes in West Oxfordshire through the countywide Better Broadband programme, run by Oxfordshire County Council with BT.
West Oxfordshire’s plans complement the programme by extending superfast broadband to the remaining premises.
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