BT has been awarded a contract by Cumbria County Council to provide fibre-optic broadband to the region.

The program will deliver superfast broadband to around 93 percent of homes and businesses in the area by the end of 2015.

The procurement process has seen changes with a reduction of the contract price from an expected £70 million in September to £51 million confirmed by BT on being awarded the contract.

Over £13 million in funding will be delivered by contributions from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) after the EU decided to provide aid to the UK project.