This is Derbyshire --NINETY-FIVE per cent of all Derbyshire firms and homes will have access to superfast internet speeds by 2016 – after the county council reached a £27.7 million deal with BT.
The Digital Derbyshire project will see fibre broadband made available to 88,000 premises across the county.
Bill Murphy, managing director of BT's Next Generation Access scheme, said it meant Derbyshire would enjoy some of the fastest internet speeds on the planet.
Speaking at the signing of the contract at County Hall yesterday, Mr Murphy said: "Some people will be able to look forward to going from having no broadband to having some of the best speeds in the world. Within three years, 95% of Derbyshire premises will have access to superfast broadband.
"The Dutch are aiming for 70% and Belgium is 85%. The UK will have the best superfast broadband structure in Europe by 2015 and Derbyshire will be part of it. It will make a huge difference to people's lives.
"It will benefit businesses hugely. If you're a retailer without an online presence, you will be losing a lot of business."
The investment comes days after the county council – which is investing £4.9 million into Digital Derbyshire – announced it was facing £157 million worth of cuts to its budget over the next four years, meaning some services will be axed.
Joan Dixon, cabinet member for jobs, transport and the economy, insisted the council's investment in superfast broadband was justified.
She said: "It has to be a priority. The only way we're going to get Derbyshire out of the state we're in is by growing the economy.
"Companies looking to invest in an area are not just looking for roads – they are expecting broadband. This project will allow us to make companies an offer that is equal to that of a city."
The news was welcomed by Derbyshire firms. Among them was the Peak Edge Hotel, near Chesterfield, where sales and marketing executive Margaret Brobbin, said: "We currently only have satellite and radio. Being a hotel that stages conferences, our customers expect fast broadband.
"Some have commented on the lack of broadband speed. Our website is quite interactive but using it is so slow.
"Our staff will be on the phone to a customer asking for their patience while a page is loading." Reported by This is 5 hours ago.