Show us how keen you are for super broadband

Feb 26 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

SMALL businesses in the region have been urged to play their part in bringing a super-fast broadband revolution to the North East ahead of other parts of the country.

The region’s digital sector was well represented this week at a round table discussion on how small businesses in the North East can survive and thrive.

And one of the key drivers for the future competitiveness of the region outlined by delegates was the need for small businesses to position themselves at the forefront of the new wave of broadband technology.

BT’s £1.5bn plan to roll out fibre-based broadband, which will accelerate speeds up to 100Mb/s, will be delivered to 10 million homes by 2012.

However, according to BT, it is the regions which show the greatest eagerness to use the new service which will benefit from it first.

And so representatives from the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) and BT itself have called on small businesses to make their voices heard and lobby for the super-fast internet infrastructure to be developed in the North East first.