Council's super-fast network 'will benefit all'

ALL York will benefit when work to connect more than 100 council buildings to a new super fast fibre optic network is set to be completed later this month.

Council bosses say it will provide a big infrastructure boost for residents and businesses in the city, as well improving the authority’s own network.

Private internet account holders in surrounding villages would also be able to enjoy faster broadband as the new infrastructure would make it more attractive to commercial providers.

Work began in January this year to install 94km of ducting to hold the new fibre optic cabling which will connect council offices, schools and libraries to the new high speed network, capable of transfer speeds of 100mbps.

The project is currently in its final stage with all buildings expected to have been switched over to the new network by the end of the month.

Coun Richard Moore, executive member for corporate services, said the project would benefit the whole city as well as improving the speed and reliability of the council’s network.

He said: “Typically with the installation of fibre networks like this upwards of 60 per cent of the cost is in the civil engineering work required to install the ducts for the cables.”

“The council’s investment in this infrastructure, which covers the city and surrounding villages, means that the cost of connecting areas to fibre optic networks has been considerably reduced.”

Coun Moore said the investment would mean some York villages would be able to benefit from access to high speed internet, which they may not have got without the council’s investment.

He said: “Many of the surrounding villages would have been unlikely to be offered fibre optic connections as the installation costs would be too high for commercial providers.”

“The infrastructure installed by the council will mean the costs are significantly reduced as there will be much less work required to install the cables.”

“Commercial providers will be much more attracted to somewhere with existing infrastructure so this investment will mean York can be ahead of many other cities in giving residents and businesses access to high speed network connections.”