UK gov. announces cities eligible for super speedy broadband bid

Lee Bell
December 20, 2011
1 Comment

British SnailThe UK government has announced 14 major cities which are eligible for a bid for a grant to make themselves “super-connected”.

A report by the BBC has stated that £100million will be available to create 100mbps citywide networks in 10 urban areas. The announcement was made when Chancellor Geororge Osbourne revealed his Autumn statement today. It is thought to be the government’s plan to kickstart the UK’s economy by bringing super speedy broadband connections available to businesses in urban areas.

The 14 cities eligible to bid are:

  • The centre of the iGaming universe, London
  • Edinburgh
  • Glasgow
  • Cardiff
  • Birmingham
  • Manchester
  • Liverpool
  • Newcastle
  • Leeds
  • Bradford
  • Bristol
  • Nottingham
  • and Sheffield

Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, told the BBC: “Transforming communities into super-connected cities will enable them to compete with the world’s top digital cities.”

But what four cities will be left behind? Those that are gagging to be included have to submit proposals to the government with plans for “citywide high-speed mobile connectivity” as well as proving that their super-connected status will drive growth. These proposals have to be submitted by cities councils by 13 February 2012 and the successful cities will be announced in Osbourne’s Budget in March.

But isn’t urban broadband in the UK fast enough already? The UK might be behind other countries in Europe in terms of web speed but it’s those poor farmers and rural-based businesses that need the boost more than anyone. In major cities like London, UK ISPs like Virgin already offer 100mbps broadband packages, so it is already available to some – and probably soon enough will be to all urban locations. Perhaps the money would be better spent improving internet speeds in rural areas before the major cities are given a further boost? Afterall they too have plenty they need to do online. What are your thoughts?

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Tags: 100mbps, 3G, 4G, Article, broadband, Internet, UK government
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