Delight in Staffordshire as high speed broadband arrives early
High speed broadband has been installed in South Staffordshire weeks earlier than expected.
More than 200 further homes and businesses in Perton are now able to access high-speed fibre broadband thanks to the Superfast Staffordshire roll-out programme.
This follows several months of planning and engineering work because the homes and businesses are served by 'exchange only' lines not connected to the main communications network using the usual road-side cabinets.
Councillor Phil Davis, vice chair of Perton Parish Council, said: "It's great that these additional parts of Perton have now caught up with other areas of the village where faster fibre broadband has been available for some time."
Tony Tappenden was one of the first Perton residents to upgrade since the completion of the roll-out.
He said: "The difference is amazing, almost akin to the transition from candles to light bulbs!
"This new technology opens so many more doors, and it's gratifying to be able to explore the new possibilities."
Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, added: "It is great to see how well the roll-out has gone in Perton.
"I'd like to thank Superfast Staffordshire for all the work they have done getting these additional homes and businesses connected earlier than the scheduled date and I'm looking forward to seeing more of South Staffordshire getting connected."
So far more than 65,000 premises across the county are able to access faster fibre broadband as a result of the Superfast Staffordshire roll-out.
Once an area has 'gone live' with fibre, local people are able to place an order with an internet service provider of their choice to get download speeds of up to 80 megabits (Mbps) and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps*.
More than 140 companies offering fibre broadband services are now operating in the UK.
Councillor Mark Winnington, Staffordshire County Council's economy leader, added: "We're pleased to see another Staffordshire community able to connect to faster broadband speeds as our roll-out continues across the county.
"We are continuing at pace with our Superfast Staffordshire programme and are now two-thirds of the way towards our target of about 90,000 properties.
"This is about improving opportunities for learning, leisure, employment and access to services for people in Perton."
