Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority will build upon the unprecedented demand for digital connectivity to help businesses and communities recover from the Covid-19 crisis and put them at the leading edge for technology.

Plans to aid businesses to gain the digital ‘knowhow’ to succeed and rollout ‘smart’ technology to market towns across the area were agreed by the CPCA Housing and Communities Committee on Monday 22 June.

They form part of the Connecting Cambridgeshire Digital Connectivity Review – Report 2019-2020, which gives an overview of work underway to significantly improve broadband, mobile and public access Wi-Fi coverage across the region by 2022.

The new ‘Keeping Everyone Connected’ workstream includes a bid for a business grants scheme using EU funding to help small and medium-sized enterprises transition to increasing reliance on digital technology to strengthen the resilience of the local economy.

Matched funding of £430,000 from the CPCA will be used to support an application to the EU European Structural Investment Fund (ESIF) for the business grant scheme to be launched later this year, if approved.

This work will also support greater digital inclusion across communities, in particular focusing on ensuring that social housing residents are not excluded from future facing digital provision.

Public access Wi-Fi is being rolled out to market towns and village halls to improve connectivity, and the fourth phase of the superfast broadband rollout is underway, targeting hard to reach rural premises aiming to achieve 99% superfast coverage by the end of 2020 (subject to the impact of Covid-19).

In addition, a new ‘Smart Places’ work package will trial ‘smart’ technology and data solutions in several market towns over the next 18 months, as part of the new ‘Advanced Communications and Emerging Technologies’ workstream.

The project includes providing SmartPanels – using real-time transport information to provide local travel updates – and low cost Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

Mayor James Palmer, said:

“The increasing importance of digital connectivity for almost all aspects of 21^st Century living from economic activity through to community well-being has been highlighted by the Covid-19 crisis. Our businesses and communities have had to work, communicate and live in very different ways, with digital connectivity underpinning many of these changes.

“We’re all working together to help the region move from rescue to recovery. The Connecting Cambridgeshire programme supports our commitment to delivering outstanding digital connectivity to support economic recovery, respond to local needs and improve people’s quality of life.”

Combined Authority Members noted the reduction of the digital infrastructure budget allocation for the Connecting Cambridgeshire programme from £5.6m to £4.3m, as agreed by the CPCA Board. The programme’s mobile coverage improvement strategy has been revised to avoid duplication through planned investment in the region’s networks through the £1billion Shared Rural Network (SRN) plans agreed in March 2020 by Government and the mobile industry.

Find out more about improving your digital connectivity:

Getting Superfast postcode checker and advice on options available

Connecting Businesses – including the Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme

Quick Guide to help available from the mobile networks during Covid-19

Home Broadband Networks guide to optimise your connectivity while working from home.