York has been chosen to be the first city in the UK to receive an ultra fast 1 gigabit (1000 Mbps) broadband.
The fibre optic network is being installed in a joint undertaking by Sky, TalkTalk and CityFibre and is expected to be operational by 2015.
City of York council labour leader James Alexander commented on the development, saying: “This announcement makes York the digital infrastructure capital of the UK. Gaining ultra-fast broadband across the city is a huge boost for our economy, providing significant new opportunities for businesses based here and better quality and value to our residents.”
The first phase of the operation will reach 20,000 premises; roughly 10% of York’s population.
The undertaking represents a huge expansion independent of BT and time will tell what the increased competition will mean for consumers.
The head of BT’s Openreach division, Joe Garner, said “Openreach already offers fibre to the premises in parts of York. This means that customers and businesses in the city will have even more choice which can only be a good thing. We will continue to respond to our customers evolving needs.”