Digital Region is supported by the project partners, Sheffield City Council, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.

The shortlist has been selected from tendering companies who responded to requests for expressions of interest as part of an open negotiated EU procurement process issued in September by Sheffield City Council on behalf of the project partners. The shortlist contains six key communications players:

• Alcatel Telecom Ltd
• BT Plc
• Kingston Communications (Hull) Plc
• NTL Group Ltd
• Thales Telecommunications Services Ltd
• Your Communications Ltd

Digital Region potentially represents the largest public sector led open broadband infrastructure development in the world. It aims to create a ubiquitous, high speed, next generation broadband infrastructure that provides an open access platform offering innovative services to business, residential and public sector organisations.

This will enable citizens of South Yorkshire to have access to advanced e-government services, communications and entertainment in the home whilst providing transformational business benefits to both the private and public sectors.

“We are delighted with the quality of the shortlisted bidders,” says Graeme Dent, Project Director. “In order to achieve our vision of providing a world-class broadband infrastructure, we need to ensure that we will have a world-class partner solution; I am confident that with the calibre of shortlisted companies, we are well on our way to achieving this.”

The shortlisted bidders will be receiving the formal invitation to negotiate, where they will prepare detailed technical and commercial proposals building on their initial submissions. Following negotiations, it is likely that the selected partner will be appointed in Autumn 2006.