£9m investment to help rural firms gain access to superfast broadband

The programme, which is being delivered by Quickline Communications, will target businesses in more isolated areas of West Yorkshire and York that are unable to access existing super and ultrafast broadband connections of at least 30 megabits per second.

Quickline specialises in delivering broadband solutions to rural areas using a combination of fibre and wireless technologies.

It is focussed on the rural areas of Northern England, where a significant digital divide remains and hundreds of thousands of premises are in need of increased broadband speeds.

Although the primary aim of the programme is to boost businesses, residential customers could also benefit from the coverage, through improved access to online services, the ability to work remotely and enhanced social connections.

The investment is expected to add £20m to the Leeds City Region economy over the next 10 years.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, chair of the combined authority and leader of Bradford Council, said: “The need for reliable, high speed broadband connections has never been more important than over the past few months when millions of us have been working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Once complete, this investment will enable businesses to work effectively no matter where they’re based and enable more people who can, to work effectively from home and commute less.”

Roger Marsh, chair of the LEP, said: “This next phase of the Superfast West Yorkshire and York Broadband programme is the final piece in the jigsaw and will allow our City Region to enjoy 99 per cent connectivity to high-speed broadband.

“The digital economy is now worth around £6.5bn to the Leeds City Region and we’re frequently named as the best place in the UK to start and grow a business.

“This investment will enable more homegrown start-ups to thrive and encourage more companies to set up here creating the jobs and growth we need to fuel our recovery from the recent pandemic.”

The programme will be funded by £6.9m from DEFRA, through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, £1.5m from Quickline and £748,000 from the combined authority. It is also being supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Steve Jagger, CEO of Quickline, said: “We’re excited to be working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and City of York to deliver high speed internet to local, hard to reach areas. We understand the challenges of delivering rural broadband services. That is why we pride ourselves on delivering flexible, hybrid innovative solutions.”