ALL internet barriers have dropped. Every telephone exchange in Yorkshire is now enabled for broadband, making it one of only three UK regions to have achieved 100 per cent enablement.

Now the work begins to encourage every business in the region to take advantage of it.

The final exchange - at Ramsgill Dale in North Yorkshire - was enabled for broadband at the end of December.

As a result, an extra 800 businesses and 4,000 householders were served by telephone exchanges which offer access to the same high-speed broadband services as the rest of the region, and have the option of future services as they are introduced.

Broadband is up to 40 times faster than so-called dial-up services and can be accessed via standard telephone line or by other means such as cable, wireless or satellite.

Working with BT and Adit, the regional procurement agency, Yorkshire Forward last year agreed to provide funding to make broadband available in the 24 exchanges that BT had previously announced were not commercially viable under its national broadband roll-out programme.

As the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward has also liaised closely with the community groups that have already established networks in these locations, using alternative technologies, to ensure that they can work with service providers to offer their customers access to improved services.

Jim Farmery, head of technology infrastructure at Yorkshire Forward, said: "This is a very proud moment for everyone involved.

"Geography is no longer a barrier to progress for any firm in our region, with all businesses that previously did not have access to broadband now being able to compete more effectively in the global market. But while I am obviously delighted that we have reached this stage, I am equally determined that as many firms as possible take advantage of the opportunity that broadband presents.

"Although our region is one of the few with 100 per cent broadband access, we also have one of the lowest take-up rates in the UK.

"This needs to be improved and, over the next few months, we will be doing everything we can to make it happen."

Brian Greenwood, BT's Yorkshire regional director, said: "The Yorkshire and the Humber region has had the foresight to be at the cutting edge of the broadband revolution in Britain. To be one of the first regions in the UK to achieve 100 per cent will give it real competitive edge and provide the platform for prosperity and success in the new digital economy."

Ed Brown, chief executive of Adit for Yorkshire and the Humber, said his organisation's role in helping Yorkshire Forward achieve its aim "was simple in terms of public sector procurement, though the real challenge now is to ensure that this foundation is developed to further improve the Yorkshire and Humberside regional economy and maintain its position as a leader in the field of world-class broadband infrastructure".

Updated: 11:02 Wednesday, January 04, 2006