North Shields the latest in North East region to connect to superfast broadband

A historic square in North Shields is set to become one of the first locations across the city to benefit from having access to superfast broadband. Thanks to the Digital Durham programme, approximately 100 homes and businesses are set to be connected to the superfast fibre broadband.

The £34 million programme, which plans to connect an additional 2,500 properties over the next six months, will connect Northumberland Square, a historical Georgian square, to superfast broadband. It recently completed the first phase of the partnership, connecting over 107,000 households and businesses. The second phase is underway and will reach the most difficult to reach premises by the end of December 2018, with an additional 29,000 premises set to be connected.

Since the start of the project, when the first green fibre cabinet went live in Durham city centre, over 490 cabinets have been installed as well as hundreds of kilometres of fibre optic cable.

For residents and business owners of North Shields, this will mark a massive improvement in terms of internet speed and connection. For businesses such as Wubbleyou, a web development company, this is particularly important and allows them to compete. Director Mark Renny said: “It’s essential we have fast and reliable broadband to compete effectively. This is a huge win for us and for other businesses in North Shields who will undoubtedly welcome fibre with open arms.”

When approached for comment, Tynemouth MP Alan Campbell said: “This is great news, especially for the many businesses in this central part of North Shields that will benefit greatly from better connectivity.

“This welcome investment in faster broadband speeds is good for business, good for the local community and good for the local economy.”

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(Image: www.geograph.org.uk)