Manchester council broadband roll-out plans to get underway

Manchester city council has announced that the opening phase of its new high-speed broadband network roll-out is about to get underway.

The local authority is conducting a Fibre to the Premises programme of infrastructure implementation, with work set to begin in the Oxford Road area later in March.

It is suggested that the Next Generation Digital City project will enable broadband speeds of up to 1,000 times those presently available in the city.

Councillor Neil Swannick, executive member for environment, said it is "vital" for Manchester to have access to "affordable super-fast broadband, based on the proven state-of-the-art capabilities of fibre and advanced wireless" in order for the city's economy to grow.

Mr Swannick pointed out that other European cities, such as Amsterdam and Paris, already provide fibre directly to businesses and homes "at a fraction of the cost of anywhere in the UK," which is a "major competitive threat".

"This year we're celebrating the 60th anniversary of the world's first real computer being invented here in Manchester," he added.

"I can't think of a better way to prepare ourselves for the technological challenges of the next 60 years than with these Next Generation Digital City proposals."

Birmingham city council is currently considering plans for a £5 million roll-out of Voice over Internet Protocol throughout its city-wide operations.