Digital Durham

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Broadband is key to unlocking economic growth in County Durham to create more jobs, improve business, support education and transform access to services for communities.

Broadband suppliers are not inclined to invest in some communities where it will take a long time to get a financial return on their investment. This is where the Digital Durham programme comes in to fill those gaps. Around 72,000 premises across County Durham would miss out without our intervention.

By the end of September 2016, it is estimated that:

• 96% of premises within County Durham will have access to a superfast broadband service in excess of 24 megabits per second (Mbps) download speed.
• 98% will have access to a fibre broadband service (Next Generation Access).
• All premises will be able to obtain a minimum service of 2 Mbps.

Funding the broadband rollout

The Government provided £6.93 million, which has been match funded by us, giving £13.86 million to invest in improving broadband in the county.

Our Rural Community Broadband Fund (RCBF) application was confirmed as successful in March 2014. The funds will be used to improve broadband in the Teesdale and Weardale areas.

We are leading the programme on behalf of Gateshead Council, Sunderland City Council, and the five Tees Valley Councils to improve broadband availability across the region.

Collectively £19.76 million funding plus an additional £6 million capital subsidy from our commercial partners British Telecommunications Plc, who have been awarded the contract to support the work, will enable faster broadband to 133,000 premises.

Broadband rollout plans

Digital Durham aims to provide County Durham homes, businesses and communities with access to fast, fibre broadband.

Find our more information from our website.