THOUSANDS of homes across Basingstoke and Deane could be supplied with faster broadband if a planning application to build a Fibre Exchange facility is approved. 

An application to install the Fibre Exchange facility in the car park of Basingstoke College of Technology, in Worting Road, has been submitted to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

If approved the facility would include two fibre cabins, 10 air conditioning units, two generators and one service cabinet - enabling the delivery of live broadband services to homes. 

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The application has been submitted by Solutions30 on behalf of CityFibre, an independent network provider that is in the process of deploying a new optical fibre network which will bring Ultrafast Gigabit broadband to millions of homes and businesses in the UK.

The facility would use "state-of-the-art" equipment to roll out internet connectivity to the wider area in Basingstoke.

Each facility has the capacity to provide 60,000 connections, and it has said within the proposed site there is space for expansion to allow up to 120,000 connections.

The report submitted by Solutions 30 recognises that the council's local plan, which sets out the rules surrounding the development of the borough, includes "the need for high-quality internet connections for residents and businesses" and that "the plan also acknowledges that there are parts of the area that are currently lacking access to these facilities".

Solution30 concludes in the report: "The proposed development at Basingstoke College of Technology is in line with national and local planning policy and will ensure the wider area has access to ultra-highspeed gigabit internet connectivity by providing the necessary infrastructure to support 60,000 fibre connections and up to 120,000 connections in the future when demand reaches that level.

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"By providing such a long-term fibre broadband solution for the area, this proposal should be considered a sustainable development."

The application has already received 27 objections.

Solutions30 has been contacted for a comment.