Sheffield to get super-fast broadband

Residents in Sheffield will soon benefit from super-fast broadband thanks to a new city-wide fibre network.

H2O Networks will begin work on laying the fibre network, capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps, in the city's sewers.

Similar schemes are already underway in Bournemouth and Dundee.

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High-speed fibre networks are also planned for a dozen other cities, but in each H20 will only be responsible for the infrastructure, relying on ISPs to offer broadband to consumers.

However, no ISP has yet come on board with H2O to act as an agent.

Sheffield's 15km fibre-optic network is due to be completed by the end of September.

BT has also started working on its £1.5bn fibre network, which it says will deliver speeds of 40Mbps to 10 million homes in the UK by 2012.