News: Digital Region official launch in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire's journey to be the first truly digital region has begun with the official launch of the Digital Region project by Rosie Winterton, Minister for Yorkshire and The Humber.
The region will benefit from a new superfast broadband network, the first of its kind in the UK.
The network is being built for the region by Digital Region Ltd in partnership with technology company Thales UK.
At a launch event in Sheffield, delegates heard speeches from representatives of Digital Region and Thales UK. They were also given the opportunity to see examples of the new technology through an innovative and engaging series of current and future uses for the network presented by a range of businesses, public sector organisations and individuals.
At the event, Phil Coppard OBE, interim chairman of Digital Region said: "Today's launch event has given us a chance to let people know what Digital Region will mean for them as well as what it will do, in a practical sense, for the whole of South Yorkshire.
Over the coming months we plan to hold a series of events to showcase the network to a wide range of other audiences – this event was just the beginning of our engagement with future customers and beneficiaries of the technology."
Rosie Winterton, Minister for Yorkshire and The Humber said: "Digital Region is significant not only because of the size of the investment - £90 million - but also because it sends a clear message that we are investing in the future and preparing for economic recovery.
"Digital Region impacts on every aspect of economic and social life in South Yorkshire. It ensures we are ideally placed to harness the huge opportunities digital technology offers."
The project, which is wholly owned by Yorkshire Forward and the four local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, will bring 25mb+ broadband to over 97% of the region, including 1.3 million people, 546,000 homes and 40,000 businesses.
The £90 million project includes £30 million from the European Regional Development Fund.
The launch coincides with the start of building work that began recently and, with a phased implementation programme, will be fully completed in around three years to cover the entire South Yorkshire region.
The region will benefit from a new superfast broadband network, the first of its kind in the UK.
The network is being built for the region by Digital Region Ltd in partnership with technology company Thales UK.
At a launch event in Sheffield, delegates heard speeches from representatives of Digital Region and Thales UK. They were also given the opportunity to see examples of the new technology through an innovative and engaging series of current and future uses for the network presented by a range of businesses, public sector organisations and individuals.
At the event, Phil Coppard OBE, interim chairman of Digital Region said: "Today's launch event has given us a chance to let people know what Digital Region will mean for them as well as what it will do, in a practical sense, for the whole of South Yorkshire.
Over the coming months we plan to hold a series of events to showcase the network to a wide range of other audiences – this event was just the beginning of our engagement with future customers and beneficiaries of the technology."
Rosie Winterton, Minister for Yorkshire and The Humber said: "Digital Region is significant not only because of the size of the investment - £90 million - but also because it sends a clear message that we are investing in the future and preparing for economic recovery."Digital Region impacts on every aspect of economic and social life in South Yorkshire. It ensures we are ideally placed to harness the huge opportunities digital technology offers."
The project, which is wholly owned by Yorkshire Forward and the four local authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, will bring 25mb+ broadband to over 97% of the region, including 1.3 million people, 546,000 homes and 40,000 businesses.
The £90 million project includes £30 million from the European Regional Development Fund.
The launch coincides with the start of building work that began recently and, with a phased implementation programme, will be fully completed in around three years to cover the entire South Yorkshire region.
Digital Region website
Thales website
RotherhamImages: digitalregion.co.uk / thalesgroup.com
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