Broadband speed boost

BT said this week that more than 20,000 homes and businesses will benefit from at least a doubling of download and upload speeds, with premises directly connected to the fibre cable network promised speeds of up to 300Mb per second from next spring.

Kirklees Council leader Coun Mehboob Khan said: “The arrival of super-fast broadband is a very important development for Dewsbury and represents a significant investment for Kirklees.

“There is no doubt that faster broadband is a real benefit to householders and provides businesses with a competitive advantage.”

The investment was also welcomed by Dewsbury and Mirfield MP Simon Reevell. He said: “I am very pleased that the Dewsbury exchange is being enabled for superfast broadband.

“As we all increasingly rely on the internet, it is becoming clear that access to fast and reliable broadband is vital for homes and businesses.

“I will continue to push for the expansion of the area which is covered by superfast broadband.”

The superfast broadband network is linked to premises through the familiar street cabinets, known as FTTC, or directly through a fibre-to-the-premises connection.

It is directly-linked customers who will receive up to 300Mb per second connections, while the target speed for FTTC links is 80Mb per second.

BT Openreach said that compared with the current average UK broadband speed of 6.8Mb per second.