Nottinghamshire is now home to some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK after a £20m scheme.
Nottinghamshire County Council and BT have been working on the plan to bring 95 per cent of homes and businesses in the county fast fibre broadband.
Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (BBfN) is only being roled out in areas which are not served by commercial providers like BT or Vigin Media – meaning homes and businesses will benefit from up to 80 megabits per second.
The council says the work is vital as businesses will also benefit from the scheme and bring more money and jobs to rural areas in Notts.
The Manvers Arms in Cotgrave struggled to download songs for a digital jukebox, leaving pub goers in dead silence, but now drinkers can enjoy their favourite songs with faster broadband.
Landlord Phil Pearson said: “Our jukebox in the main bar has the ability to stream up to seven million songs from the internet, but previously we could not download the songs quick enough to meet the demand of a busy pub on a Friday night.
“Now, thanks to the hugely improved broadband speed, our customers can listen to any song they want instantly at the touch of a button.”
Photo: Phil Pearson at the pumps of The Manvers Arms in Cotgrave
In November last year, the County Council revealed plans to boost internet speeds by Spring 2018 – with more tan 80,000 homes expected to benefit from faster speeds.
Rural communities Bassetlaw, Newark, Sherwood and Rushcliffe have been targets of the campaign in a bid to boost wifi access in the areas.
Graphic: Percentage of homes and businesses with access to super-fast broadband (over 24Mbps)
According to ThinkBroadband.com Nottinghamshire is above the UK average for broadband speeds.
Councillor Dianne Meale, the authority’s economic development chairman said: “The Manvers Arms is a great example of how access to a better broadband service can help businesses in multiple ways, which is helping to improve customer service and the smooth running of the pub.
“We’re moving forward with our plans to roll-out more superfast broadband this year and beyond, extending the digital revolution to thousands more homes and businesses.”
To find out if your property or business is entitled to faster broadband visit the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire website.
