Newark and Sherwood district in next phase of superfast broadband project

RESIDENTS of Newark and Sherwood are set to see the benefits of superfast broadband.

More then £30m has been invested over the last five years as part of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Better Broadband For Nottinghamshire programme ­— and phase three will directly impact Newark and Sherwood.

The programme provides full fibre technology to more than 3,000 properties in rural parts of Bassetlaw and Newark and Sherwood.

It will result in ultrafast download speeds of up to 330Mbps.

This means residents and businesses can download a two-hour high definition film in 90 seconds, a 45-minute high definition television show in 16 seconds, or a nine-hour audio book in three seconds.

Alongside these figures, a new report has confirmed that Nottinghamshire is one of the top two counties in the country for superfast broadband.

Among the 48 counties in England, Nottinghamshire is second, according to study by broadbandchoices.co.uk.

County council leader Mrs Kay Cutts welcomed the study and said that the availability of good quality, superfast broadband remained key if job creation and economic growth ambitions were to be realised.

Data from Ofcom shows that the average download speed in Nottinghamshire is 54.4Mbps, compared with an average for English counties of 37.65 Mbps.

Compared with other English counties, on average, only residents in Hertfordshire can perform tasks like downloading documents, music and video or stream Netflix television faster than people living in Nottinghamshire.

Mrs Cutts said: “The internet has revolutionised the way we do business, keep in contact with friends, use services, access entertainment, and store data.

“Having fast, reliable broadband is now viewed on a par with access to a water, gas and electricity supply.

“Over the last five years, Nottinghamshire County Council and its partners have invested £30m in improving the county’s digital infrastructure which, it is estimated, will generate more than £300m for our economy and create 5,800 jobs by 2030.

“The availability of good quality, superfast broadband remains a key driver for our job creation and economic growth ambitions.

“Continued investment by both the county council and the private sector in Nottinghamshire’s digital infrastructure, including new ultrafast broadband, is keeping us ahead of the rest and in pole position to attract more inward investment.”