MORE businesses in the district are to benefit from the second phase of superfast broadband in West Yorkshire as the project to provide faster speeds continues.

Superfast West Yorkshire is a partnership between the five West Yorkshire local authorities and York, and it is expected that more than 98 per cent of homes and businesses in the area will have access to fibre broadband by the end of June 2018 as a result.

The first phase saw key parts of Bradford included in the £21.96 million project which reached 67,500 premises in total.

Now the second phase, worth £19.5m, includes Bradford, Leeds, Calderdale and Wakefield, as before, as well as the addition of Kirklees and York.

In recent months new areas to benefit from the faster speeds are Birstall, Yeadon and Rawdon, as well as more fibre enabled cabinets for Pudsey and Silsden.

The second phase investment is being used to used to improve coverage and access to superfast fibre broadband across West Yorkshire over the next 18 months.

Locations expected to be included in this phase of the roll out include business parks, inner city and suburban areas not currently served by a fibre broadband network.

Mike Cartwright of Bradford Chamber of Commerce said: “Businesses are calling out for high-speed broadband and better mobile connectivity to be rolled out as soon as possible.

“These are now essential aspects of good business activity, as much as they are in family life.

“Poor broadband will hamper communications and business opportunities and therefore act as a drag-factor on the economic prospects of the district.

“We therefore welcome more upgrades and conversions in Bradford at the earliest opportunity to avoid that happening.”

By the end of the two phases more than 100,000 premises are expected to have access to fibre broadband.

Earlier this year West Yorkshire Combined Authority, a collaboration between the five authorities in the region, consulted on new areas without next generation access which could become part of the project as funds are reinvested.

White areas, as they are known, cover a number of Bradford postcode areas, including some in the city centre, as well as more rural areas in the district.