Wales to get £57m to improve broadband service

90% of Welsh homes and businesses to get superfast broadband accessible

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced that Wales is to receive £56.9m from the UK government's £530m broadband investment fund.

Wales' share includes the £10m pledged by Chancellor George Osborne earlier this year.

Last week, Communications regulator Ofcom had published an interactive broadband map of the UK to show how different places are faring with respect to broadband coverage.

Wales had been largely marked in red by the watchdog, the colour assigned to places having the worst broadband provision. The areas surrounding Wales are better off in the map.

Ofcom had said that most rural areas have lower speeds and a greater proportion of customers who receive speeds less than 2Mbps.

Ofcom cites poor infrastructure, difficult terrain and low housing density as reasons for this disparity.

While making the announcement Hunt said that the broadband fund would make superfast broadband accessible to 90% of Welsh homes and businesses once the infrastructure is in place.

He said, "If the Welsh Government matches our investment, 90% of the country's homes and businesses will have access to superfast broadband."

However, Hunt added that the Welsh government has to utilise the fund and make sure that broadband service in Wales is on par with the rest of the UK.

"If you suffer the frustration of slow Internet connections, then tell your Welsh Assembly Member that you need broadband. Urge them to make this investment and ensure that Wales is not left behind," said Hunt.

The BBC quoted Welsh Government Business Minister Edwina Hart welcoming the announcement. She said, "We have a strong track record of investing to increase the availability and take-up of broadband in Wales.

"This funding will help us build on this and reach our target of all residential premises and businesses having access to next generation broadband by 2015."

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