In his regular column for the Hereford Times, Hereford and South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman hails recent leaps forward in digital connectivity for the county

HEREFORD Times readers will know that the need for full broadband and better digital connectivity have been key themes of my time as an MP, ever since I hosted our original fast broadband conference a few weeks after my election.

It's a simple but compelling equation: gorgeous rural county plus real digital connectivity equals greater wellbeing and greater prosperity for all.

So I have been encouraged by recent digital developments.

Over the last six months the digital network operator ITS has expanded its Faster Britain network to cover Rotherwas and the Herefordshire Enterprise Zone, providing fast and reliable gigabit-speed connectivity.

In Hereford itself, thanks to the kind support of Hereford Cathedral, Openreach has now installed new switching at the bottom of Broad Street, which will I hope will have a dramatic effect on the often poor connectivity in the centre of the city.

From this week, the new cabinets will go live and Openreach will be able to start taking orders from current users and residents who want to upgrade broadband.

The new city centre coverage runs from East Street and the Cathedral Close down to St Martin's Street and up to West Street and Eign Gate.

Better still, the independent broadband provider Zzooom has now chosen Hereford to install its new full fibre network, and is busily recruiting early customers.

But this is only part of a much wider picture of next generation broadband delivery across the county.

The Fastershire broadband team have now confirmed that a deal has been concluded with Full Fibre Ltd to begin its roll-out in Ross-on-Wye.

As the name implies, it will bring full fibre broadband, initially to local businesses in the Alton Road area and, if that goes well, to much if not all of the rest of Ross.

In the Golden Valley, broadband rollout has so far been patchy and subject to delay.

But here too things may at last be looking up.

A further contract should mean that Gigaclear accelerate the rollout of full fibre to more of our most rural areas.

Fastershire is also looking at new ways to reach people's homes and businesses by linking communities and fibre suppliers, to create bespoke solutions through community grants and voucher schemes.

Full fibre must and will be a crucial part of our future development.

To find out more, or to see if you can register for the community grants, visit www.fastershire.com.