South Yorkshire gets 25Mbps broadband

The vast majority of people throughout South Yorkshire are to enjoy broadband speeds of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) through a £90 million network.

A range of local authorities in the region and Yorkshire Forward part-own Digital Region, a body that has worked with Thales UK to produce the next-generation network and connect 97 per cent of homes and businesses, potentially producing more effective VoIP hardware.

The network itself is similar to the fibre-to-the-cabinet system being developed by major internet service provider BT, which involves running fibre optic cabling to street cabinets and then connecting to individual homes and businesses through existing copper wiring.

David Holt, chief executive officer of Digital Region, said: "[This] will provide a major boost to South Yorkshire's economy, encouraging inward investment and providing a wealth of opportunities for businesses, local residents and public sector organisations."

Every home in the UK is due to have a connection of at least 2Mbps by 2012 through the government's universal connectivity scheme, but several internet service providers are working to deliver far higher speeds.