A BIG push to get York businesses to use high-speed broadband internet links has begun.

It was through the high-profile protests of businesses that BT spent millions to increase the two ADSL exchanges in and around the city to six this year

Now Science City and Yorkshire Forward have begun the Broadband York campaign to ensure that businesses actually do use ADSL, the through-the-phone-line access to the internet which is up to ten times faster than an ordinary dial-up modem connection.

Meetings and systems demonstrations are being staged throughout this week, with service providers on hand to advise and sign businesses up.

It would be a huge embarrassment if there was now a small take-up especially as BT at first resisted the investment on the grounds of lack of demand, then changed its mind after a barrage of business protests.

One of the arguments that swayed BT to provide the infrastructure of 92 per cent of York's firms and residents was that it was sorely needed by a city whose growing scientific and commercial credentials were being praised worldwide.

The change of mind came as a welcome relief to the York Inward Investment team who can now feel less inhibited about luring big, high-tech businesses to the city.

The campaign has been given an extra boost by a £1.5 million plan by Yorkshire Forward to connect 200 rural and 250 urban small and medium-sized enterprises in Yorkshire to broadband for an initial 12 month period.

But outside York, BT is asking people to register their interest in being ADSL connected and so far in some areas like Ryedale, the response has not been good...for instance the latest look at www.bt.com which registers broadband demand, needs 400 to register in Malton before the technology can be triggered there. At a latest look the number was a mere 82.

Jude Brereton, of Tribeca (York) Ltd, the event organiser, said: "Many don't register - not because they are against the idea, but simply because they don't know what broadband is or the benefits an always-connected link can bring to a venture's bottom line

"Our task during this week is to enlighten people, but our brief is in York. Perhaps the new-found knowledge and excitement we generate by the time we are finished will eventually trickle out into the rural areas."

Updated: 09:58 Tuesday, September 24, 2002