HIGH-speed global links have been installed in the dales to attract businesses and create jobs.
Villages in Weardale and Teesdale were among 12 North-East telephone exchanges upgraded to BT broadband on Monday. Included was Eastgate, which has been earmarked by regeneration agencies for a renewable energy development on a former cement works site.
Frosterley, Tow Law, Wearhead and Barningham were also connected. Iain Phillips, chief executive of Wear Valley District Council, said: "Broadband in Eastgate will now enable the whole of Wear Valley, including our remote rural businesses and communities, to capitalise on the opportunities offered by the world wide web."
Despite broadband's advantages - it can operate up to 40 times the speed of a standard internet connection - the take up in the region is only 12.5 per cent, compared with a national average of 17.6 per cent.
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