Superfast West Yorkshire and York Broadband

‘Superfast Broadband’ is something you may have been hearing a lot about in recent years but what does it really mean and why is it needed? The term ‘Superfast’ describes an internet connection with download speeds of over 30Mbps (Megabits per second) but depending on the connection type and supporting technology this could potentially go as high as 1Gbps. However, these speeds cannot be delivered without improving the network.

In recent years broadband has become an essential utility, therefore upgrading to Superfast brings the potential to utilise the internet for so much more in your home or business. With it being integral to almost everything we do today, better connectivity can affect all aspects of our work and social lives.

A number of locations were considered unviable for many of the major commercial roll-outs, so this programme was initiated in 2013 to cover areas that may otherwise miss out on the exciting new advances.

It is the government’s current target to achieve 85% Gigabit Broadband coverage by 2025.

The programme now covers the following administrative districts; Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield and City of York. The Combined Authority is responsible for coordinating across all 6 regions to ensure an integrated and unified approach.

Budget for Contracts 1 & 2 came from European Regional Development Funding, BDUK, the selected supplier (Openreach) and with some local body contribution.

The majority of Contract 3 was funded by DEFRA using money from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, with additional funding from the supplier (Quickline) and some local body contribution.

Working in partnership with the local bodies, suppliers and Building Digital UK, West Yorkshire Combined Authority delivered superfast broadband to many areas across our region.

This was a major undertaking and under Contracts 1 and 2 has required replacing the old copper phone network with brand new fibre-optic cable and unleashing the potential for greatly increased speeds and reliability. It has also opened the door to innovative solutions for remote areas where more traditional networks have struggled to reach until now. This includes a new fixed wireless solution which was delivered as part of Contract 3.