Cambridge could be the first city in the UK to experience the 'internet revolution' as plans are revealed to update the broadband speed across Cambridgeshire as early as Autumn 2011.
The new 'super-fast broadband' will be available to around 15,500 homes and businesses in Cambridgeshire by the end of 2011 once upgrades are made to the Cambridge Central and Ely telecoms exchanges.
With over £2.5 billion being invested in the fibre optic broadband network across the UK, it is the single biggest commercial investment in broadband infrastructure in history and one of the biggest civil engineering projects BT has ever undertaken.
The new, faster service should allow domestic and business users across Cambridge to enjoy download speeds of up 100Mbps, an increase of almost five fold on the current best level of service.
Peter McCarthy Ward from BT explained: “Fibre broadband has the power to revolutionise the way we use the internet. It has huge implications for the way we live, learn and do business, with massive opportunities for entertainment, education and entrepreneurs. People in the East of England will soon be able to experience the internet as they’ve never seen it before."
The developments come as many small business owners across the UK complain that the biggest factor preventing future growth is lack of reliable and efficient access to the Internet.
It would seem businesses in Cambridge will be speeding ahead of the pack come next year when the new service is rolled out across the region. Allowing them to utilise more sophisticated online services and applications, the new service could mean that smart thinking businesses in Cambridge will have the ability to offer products and service that will genuinely not be available elsewhere.
