Theresa May has welcomed news that 93.9% per cent of premises in Maidenhead now benefit from superfast broadband.

This has been delivered as part of the Government’s manifesto commitment to extending superfast broadband to 95 per cent of UK premises by the end of 2017. Data released today confirms this ambitious target has been met. More than 19 out of every 20 UK homes and businesses now have the opportunity to upgrade their internet connections to superfast speeds of 24 Mbps or faster.

Over the last five years, the Government’s rollout of superfast broadband has made superfast speeds a reality for more than 4.5 million homes and businesses who would otherwise have missed out. As well as delivering everyday benefits to families, such as easy access to information and convenient ways of staying in touch, better broadband also equips businesses with the digital infrastructure they need to expand and compete in today’s digital age.

Commenting, Theresa May said:

‘Access to superfast broadband is great news for families and businesses in Maidenhead Because of the actions of this government almost every family and business in the UK can now get a quicker internet connection – meaning we can all use the internet faster and more easily, whether that means businesses reaching new customers, or parents doing the weekly shop.

There is more to do, but each week we are reaching thousands more premises, and data released today underlines the important progress we have already made. By investing in the things that improve people’s day to day lives we will build a Britain that is fit for the future’.

ENDS

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Notes to Editors

 

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• Superfast broadband at 24 Mbps or faster is now available to 95 per cent of residences. This is more than double the speed Ofcom advise is required by a typical family home (DCMS, 29 January 2018, link; ThinkBroadband, accessed 29 January 2018, link).

 

• The £1.7 billion Government rollout of superfast broadband to areas deemed ‘not commercially viable’ by industry has so far reached more than 4.5 million UK premises that would otherwise have been left in the connectivity slow lane, the majority of which are in rural areas (DCMS, 29 January 2018, link).

 

• Closing of the ‘digital divide’ has delivered a significant boost to local economies - creating around 50,000 new local jobs and generating an additional £8.9 billion in turnover in the areas covered by the Government rollout between 2013 and 2016 (DCMS, 29 January 2018, link).

 

• The Government is committed to giving everyone access to high speed broadband by 2020 and has confirmed that universal high speed broadband will be delivered by a regulatory Universal Service Obligation (USO). This will give every household in Britain the right to request access to broadband with minimum speeds of 10Mbps, which is the speed that Ofcom says is needed to meet the requirements of an average family (DCMS, 20 December 2017, link).