Plugging connectivity black holes across the UK to reach full gigabit coverage by 2030 is underway, as the Government embarks on a renewed push to upgrade outdated broadband infrastructure.

A further £800 million in UK Government funding will be invested in fixing the digital divide experienced across hundreds of thousands of rural homes and businesses across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Regions benefiting from the new rollout

Project Gigabit, states the government, will provide access to lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband,  and it is also the first time Wales, the region with the lowest percentage of gigabit coverage, will benefit from this programme.

Around £170 million in UK Government investment will be made available to deliver top-of-the-range ‘gigabit-capable’ broadband for around 70,000 hard-to-reach premises in Wales. This includes some of the most remote parts of the country from the South Wales Valleys to the Llyn Peninsula.

Contracts worth £288 million have already been signed with Openreach under the agreement to connect approximately 96,600 homes and businesses in England and, for the first time, Wales. Areas to benefit include Lancashire, North Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire, West and Mid-Surrey, Staffordshire, West Berkshire and Hertfordshire, West and North Devon, and North West, Mid and South East Wales.

This landmark deal with telecom provider Openreach represents one of the biggest milestones in the rollout of Project Gigabit, which targets areas left behind with poor digital infrastructure. It will help meet the growing demand for reliable connectivity, stimulate local rural economies, reduce regional disparities, enable remote working and attract new businesses.

The announcement follows this Government’s vow to redouble its efforts to achieve full gigabit coverage by 2030 and harness the enormous potential of technology to grow the economy, accelerate innovation and improve people’s lives.

Talks are now underway with Openreach to agree further contracts to benefit around 215,800 more premises across England, Scotland and Wales, with more announcements expected in the coming months. Areas expected to benefit from these future contracts include Central and North Scotland, North and South West Wales, Mid and South Devon, East and South Shropshire, North Herefordshire, North Somerset, Essex, North East England and Worcestershire.

What is the aim of Project Gigabit?

Project Gigabit aims to support the government’s plans to kickstart economic growth, creating and supporting thousands of high-paid, high-skilled jobs, and empowering industries to innovate and increase productivity via digital technology. It will also ensure people can access vital services they need now and, in the future, from giving patients improved access to healthcare through virtual appointments and remote health monitoring to helping pensioners combat loneliness by catching up with loved ones over higher-quality video calls.

For households, gigabit-capable broadband delivers faster speeds and fewer dropouts. Unlike traditional copper-based networks, gigabit connections won’t slow down at peak times, meaning no more battling for bandwidth with the neighbours. Gigabit networks can easily handle over a hundred devices all at once with no buffering, meaning the whole family can seamlessly surf, stream and download simultaneously.

This announcement builds on work already underway through other Project Gigabit contracts to build faster networks for up to 910,000 hard-to-reach premises across England. Dozens of contracts representing more than £1.9 billion investment have now been signed with 11 suppliers to deliver the upgrades, including many smaller, independent broadband providers.