A PIONEERING project, which could result in high-speed broadband becoming available in many more small communities in North and East Yorkshire region has been announced by BT.

BT says that its ADSL Exchange Activate scheme, which has been successfully trialled at eight sites across the country, makes broadband commercially viable for much smaller groups of customers than ever before.

BT confirmed that the scheme - involving a sponsoring body with a social, development or commercial interest in bringing broadband to specific areas - will be commercially available from July. The sponsor will pay a lump sum to get groups of 30 customers connected to ADSL broadband equipment for a three year period.

The scheme should interest chambers of commerce and other business organisations whose hopes for broadband in smaller communities are frustrated because not enough people register to trigger the cost of adapting new local exchanges.

Sponsors will be able to order an ADSL service on a nominated exchange in blocks of 30 connections; the first block will cost £45,000 and subsequent blocks on the same exchange £30,000. The fee covers installation and rental charges for a three-year period, at the end of which normal rental charges will take over.

BT also announced today that because of a technological development which reduced the cost of connecting exchanges, trigger levels can at last be set at a further 600 exchanges across the country, one of them at Filey, where the process begins with 300 demands for the facility.

Updated: 09:45 Tuesday, April 29, 2003