Openreach has connected the first homes and businesses to ultra-fast broadband speeds in 38 of some of the country’s hardest to reach rural communities – thanks to a deal between Openreach and the UK Government.

Rural communities now able to access ultra-fast broadband speeds, include: Lacock and Broad Hinton in Wiltshire; Dane End in Hertfordshire; Castle Caereinion and Llanwrin in Powys; and Meeth in Devon.

The Project Gigabit scheme with Openreach aims to upgrade 220,000 homes and businesses in places that would otherwise have been left behind by private companies. It builds on Openreach’s commercial rollout, which has already reached more than 18 million homes and businesses across the UK.

The upgrade is expected to drive productivity gains, support over 620,000 people back into the workforce, and enable more than one million to work from home, contributing an additional £19 billion annually.

Katie Milligan, Deputy CEO of Openreach, commented: “Bringing full fibre broadband to the UK’s most remote and rural homes is a monumental achievement. These communities have faced connectivity challenges for far too long, but our partnership with Project Gigabit is changing that. We want to make sure that every corner of the UK has access to the fastest and most reliable broadband technology, so this is just the beginning. We’re continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible as we want no community to be left behind.”

Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant, added:  “I’m delighted to see the first premises successfully connected thanks to this landmark contract with Openreach, which will see some 290,000 homes and businesses connected in some of the hardest-to-reach places in the UK.  Poor connectivity has kept rural communities back for too long, but through Project Gigabit we’re removing barriers to opportunity and bringing fast, reliable broadband to homes and businesses that need it most.”

Openreach is working in partnership with Government through Project Gigabit to upgrade broadband infrastructure in a number of rural areas. These include Lancashire, North Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire, West and Mid Surrey, Staffordshire, West Berkshire, Hertfordshire, and Worcestershire, as well as parts of Devon, Somerset, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Wales, Essex, and North-East England.

Meanwhile Openreach’s commercial full fibre build also continues apace – reaching more than 70,000 new premises every week. The company is on track to build to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026 and could reach as many as 30 million by the end of 2030, under the right investment conditions.

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Categories: Articles, Broadband

Tags: broadband, Openreach, Ultra