www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Business broadband campaign
Summary of Service
The £7million Smartplace initiative was established in 2004 to increase access to and use of broadband technologies in Wiltshire and Swindon through eBusiness, eLearning and eCommunity themes. By month 31 of the 36 month programme all but two objectives were met and by August 06 the remaining business grants will have been awarded and learning courses completed..
Details of Service
eWiltshire broadband campaign generates over £1.7 million investment in Wiltshire
The eWiltshire broadband campaign run by the Wiltshire & Swindon Smartplace Partnership has contributed a massive £1.7 million investment to business, learning and community initiatives in Wiltshire at a cost to the County Council of just £420,000. This represents a gearing of over 4:1 on the council's investment. Through the Partnership, BT has also made a major investment in broadband telephone exchange upgrades.
The Smartplace partners have delivered the following benefits in Wiltshire:
- 99.8% of residential and business premises in the area now have access to broadband, representing an investment by BT of around £11.5 million in exchange upgrades
- Over 1 in 3 premises in Wiltshire now has a broadband account
- 103 grants, valued at £84,035, awarded to SMEs in the area have leveraged £368,572 in ICT investment
- £230,000 of ePod units delivering online training for employees have been deployed in small and medium sized business (SMEs) in the county
- Over 5,000 online courses have been delivered representing an investment of around £750,000 in skills development
- 33,740 visits have been made to 32 eWiltshire Access Centres, representing an investment of £400,000 in these local communities
Wylye Valley and Oxenwood were enabled in February and this means every one of Wiltshire's exchanges are now enabled for broadband. BT has announced that broadband services of 4MB will be available for a large proportion of Wiltshire phone lines and for those living or working close to their local telephone exchange, line rates up to 8Mbit/s should be possible.
Needs
As the Wiltshire & Swindon Smartplace Programme draws to a close all funding has been committed and it is too late to apply for business or learning grants.
Payment
Access is free of charge at community centres listed on the websites.
Eligibility
Everyone is eligible to use access centre computers; for broadband services please contact BT and other service providers direct.
Contact Details
By Post
Smartplace Administrators c/o Caroline Thornycroft
Wiltshire & Swindon Smartplace Programme
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email
carolinethornycroft@wiltshire.gov.uk
By Telephone
0845 600 3331
By Fax
01225 713999
| A to Z Names | Business broadband campaign, Business broadband campaign |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Smartplace programme |
| PID No. | 864 |
| IPSV Category | Internet |
| Level 1 Name | Business broadband campaign |
| IPSV ID | 823 |
