Project Gigabit extends into Yorkshire

Over 4,500 rural homes and businesses in Yorkshire can now access what is described as the fastest, most reliable broadband on the market under the latest part of the UK government’s £5bn scheme to drive economic growth in the region, and close the digital divide that currently exists between those living and working in urban conurbations and those in remote areas.

The Project Gigabit programme was introduced in 2021 with the aim of accelerating the UK’s recovery from Covid-19; boosting high-growth sectors such as tech and the creative industries; and levelling up the country, spreading wealth and creating jobs across the country. On its launch, the previous UK government said the scheme would prioritise areas with slow connections that would otherwise be left behind in commercial broadband companies’ plans and give rural communities access to the fastest internet on the market, helping to grow the economy.

The recently elected Labour administration reconfirmed the original objective to build a broadband infrastructure that would achieve full gigabit coverage by 2030.

By April 2024, more than £1.3bn had already been invested in Project Gigabit contracts, resulting in nearly 82% of properties across the UK having access to gigabit broadband, up from just 7% at the same time five years ago. This investment saw more than a million rural homes, businesses and public buildings upgraded to gigabit-capable networks.

Under the new phase of the programme, rural communities in North and West Yorkshire and remote areas surrounding York, including Escrick, Crofton, Elvington, Sutton upon Derwent and Wheldrake, will be the first to be connected to gigabit-capable broadband under a government contract awarded earlier in 2024 to comms supplier Quickline.

The contract will fund connections for over 28,000 hard-to-reach rural homes and businesses in the region once the roll-out has completed. To date, many residents and business owners in the region have struggled to fulfil basic online tasks due to outdated broadband infrastructure.

“Thousands of rural households, businesses and students in this region can now enjoy better connectivity without having to battle for bandwidth with neighbours or other family members to stream video and music or download big files crucial for work and education,” said UK Telecoms minister Chris Bryant. “The digital divide affecting a region as bursting in opportunities as Yorkshire is unacceptable. It is fantastic to mark a new step towards … delivering the connectivity the region deserves to thrive and compete.”

Julian Chalk, head of network engagement and enablement at Quickline, added: “We’re proud to be delivering gigabit-capable broadband to rural communities in the York area as part of the government’s Project Gigabit programme. Our goal is to make an impact quickly and light up these areas as soon as possible. Everyone deserves access to reliable broadband and we’re committed to helping our customers to thrive in the digital world.”

Meanwhile, across the Pennines, 11,000 more homes in the Chester have now been given access for the first time to Virgin Media’s gigabit broadband services through the new Nexfibre netwok. Customers in Chester can now sign up to services including Gig2 broadband, which offers top speeds of 2Gbps – 28 times faster than the local average.

Commenting on the deployment, councillor Nathan Pardoe, cabinet member for inclusive economy, regeneration and digital transformation at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “Thanks to Nexfibre and Virgin Media O2, 11,000 more homes in Chester will have access to gigabit broadband via the Virgin Media O2 network. Full-fibre services like this are about more than speed upgrades – they are more reliable than services carried over legacy networks and give homes connections that are fit for the future.”