Member Article

Multi-million pound partnership sees 2,000 Weardale homes and businesses go superfast

Digital Durham has announced that superfast fibre broadband has arrived in Weardale, allowing over 2,000 households and businesses to connect to the new, high-speed technology.

Parts of Tow Law, Hamsterley and Wolsingham are the first locations to be reached by the new fibre network with a further 4,000 homes and businesses in Weardale due to be upgraded by the end of the programme.

Benefits for businesses include faster file and data transfers, better access to cloud computing services and software, more sophisticated web-based contact with customers and support for more flexible working.

Fibre broadband enables multiple users in a home or business to access the internet, download and share large files at the same time more quickly than ever before. In order to take advantage of the higher speeds now available, residents should contact their service provider.

The Digital Durham broadband programme is delivered by Durham County Council and BT. In total, £34m has been invested by BT, Durham County Council, Gateshead Council, Government funding from Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) and public sector partners in Sunderland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and the Tees Valley.

Welcoming the news, Pat Glass, MP for North West Durham, said: “I am delighted the people of Weardale can now access superfast broadband. Without the Digital Durham program it would not be commercially viable for the installation of the hardware necessary to enable this broadband provision.

“Today is a landmark moment for Weardale. It is a real step forward for its businesses and families who will greatly enjoy the benefits of faster broadband.”

Engineers from Openreach, BT’s local network business, began upgrading the BT exchange in Frosterley last year and just one year on have installed around 60km of underground ducts carrying cables containing around 7,000km of fibres.

Work continues and in the coming months there will be further upgrades in Tow Low, Hamsterley and Wolsingham as well as the first superfast connections in Frosterley, Stanhope, Witton le Wear, Eastgate, Edmundbyers, Wearhead and other local communities.

To celebrate the arrival of superfast broadband in Weardale the Digital Durham team are holding two events with the first kicking off at Tow Law Community Centre today. This will be followed by an event at Wolsingham Methodist Church on Front Street on June 26 at 10am.

Councillor Jane Brown, Cabinet member for corporate services, Durham County Council, said: “This is great news for residents and businesses who can look forward to a raft of benefits that fibre broadband can bring.

“As a council we are committed to making sure rural areas like Weardale aren’t left behind when it comes to getting online so this latest stage of the rollout is really pleasing.

“We would encourage people in the area to come along to the public events and find out more about the programme and the many opportunities on offer.”

These events will give local people and businesses a chance to meet the team, ask questions about the roll-out and discover the benefits of faster broadband speeds. Similar events will be organised in other areas as the roll-out continues,

Speaking at the Digital Durham community event in Tow Law, Simon Roberson, BT’s regional partnership director for the North East, said: “Bringing fibre broadband to Weardale has not been easy.Rural geographies present engineers with many difficulties not faced in more urban areas.

“Long stretches of winding roads creates the need for traffic management, collapsed and blocked underground ducts are common meaning often engineers have to build new ducts rather than being able to use existing infrastructure.

“Reaching Weardale is a great achievement and is testament to the dedication of around 100 Openreach planners and engineers who have been keeping busy, clocking up thousands of man hours to plan and lay thousands of kilometres of underground fibre optic cable.

“Superfast broadband will help improve access to jobs, allow local companies to compete in the global marketplace, create new opportunities for local people in the way they work, learn and enjoy their leisure time, and help young people make use of educational resources online.”