Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) has brought superfast broadband to 401 homes and businesses in Brean following the deployment of three new fibre cabinets around the village.
Holiday makers visiting the coastal Somerset village will be able to benefit from superfast speeds of up to 80mbps. Business owner Stuart Nash of The Old Rectory Motel said “We are really pleased that Brean now has superfast broadband. It will make such a difference to the area and is a boost for the tourism industry here.”
James Heappey, MP for Wells, said: “What a huge impact superfast broadband is already having in Brean. It matters hugely not only to residents and the many businesses here but also the 30,000 visitors a week so it is important to the economy in this part of Somerset.”
By the end of December 2016, Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS), the tax-payer subsidised broadband roll-out, will have achieved its phase 1 target on time, making faster fibre broadband available to around 320,000 premises in areas not covered by commercial providers, of which around 275,000 will be able to get superfast speeds of 24Mbps and above.
Alan House, Director at Holiday Resort Unity & Brean Leisure Park, said: “With access to superfast broadband, we’ve been able to move our reservation system to a service hosted in the cloud which has made a massive difference to the way we run the business.”
To date, the CDS programme has provided more than 295,000 households and businesses in Devon and Somerset with access to improved broadband, of which about 8 out of 10 are able to access superfast broadband speeds in excess of 24mbps. This has been made possible through the construction of 1,300 fibre broadband cabinets and the laying of many thousands of kilometres of fibre optic cables by engineers from BT’s local network business, Openreach.
Councillor David Hall, Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “I’m delighted for everybody in Brean who now has the opportunity to access superfast broadband as a result of the Connecting Devon and Somerset programme. The ability to access high quality communications infrastructure is both critical to businesses and an important part of improving quality of life, and the more people across Devon and Somerset who are connected, the better for everyone.”
Paul Coles, BT South West regional manager, said: “The rollout of high-speed fibre broadband represents a major investment to the Brean area. It will provide a vital boost for local households and businesses because whatever you do online you can do it better with fibre broadband.”
Residents and businesses can keep up to date with the latest cabinets going live via Twitter @DCCSCCBroadband or via www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk. If your area is covered by fibre broadband you will need to contact your Internet Service Provider to order a fibre broadband service.
