Rural full fibre provider Gigaclear will deliver top-of-the-range full fibre connections to around 4,400 rural premises in the county which, without government intervention, would have missed out on the industry’s rollout of faster, more reliable ‘gigabit-capable’ broadband.
Full fibre is capable of delivering speeds of in excess of 1,000 megabits (or one gigabit) per second – up to 30 times faster than superfast connections which rely on traditional copper cables. Gigabit speeds mean households can download a high-definition film in under one minute, stream and download entertainment and shop online across several different devices at once.
The upgrades will help grow the economy and create jobs by making it easier to set up a business and mean rural communities will have access to networks designed to meet people’s needs for decades to come as the demand for fast connections continues to rise.
Rural premises which will benefit from the plans include those in and surrounding Tuffley, Kemble, Woodmancote, Stow-on-the-Wold, Alderton, and Brockhampton.
Now the contract is signed, following a rigorous and competitive public procurement process, Gigaclear will begin detailed surveying work with spades expected to enter the ground in the autumn.
It is one of the many decisions this Government is making to address the long-term problems facing the nation – improving economic security and opportunity for everyone. This will deliver a brighter future for Britain, with long-term economic security and opportunity: where hard work is always rewarded; where ambition and aspiration are celebrated; where young people get the skills they need to succeed in life; where families are supported, where those who have worked hard all their lives have the dignity they deserve in retirement; and, with security at home and abroad.
Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “Rural homes and businesses all over the county will soon be joining the digital fast lane thanks to this latest investment from our national Project Gigabit rollout.
“We’ve now provided access to the fastest speeds on the market to a million homes and businesses across the UK, and I’m thrilled we’re now moving to transform lives and livelihoods in hard-to-reach communities here in Gloucestershire”
Gareth Williams, CEO at Gigaclear, said: “I welcome the award of this latest contract as it reinforces the important role Gigaclear is playing in helping the government achieve its wider broadband roll-out ambitions.
“Gigaclear has been working with the government in Gloucestershire since 2015, connecting approximately 27,000 premises on behalf of Fastershire, the county’s digital partnership with Herefordshire. When added to our commercial build footprint in the county, Gigaclear’s network in Gloucestershire extends to almost 75,000 rural homes and businesses”.
More than one million homes, businesses and public buildings can now access the best internet speeds on the market as a result of the UK Government’s rollout of faster, more reliable broadband, according to new figures published by the government today.
The UK is building gigabit networks faster than any country in the EU, thanks in part to government measures to stimulate competition and bust barriers to rollout. Last month the government announced that gigabit coverage had reached 80 per cent of the UK, up from just 6 per cent in 2019, and the UK is on track to achieve 85 per cent by 2025.
As part of the investment, Gigaclear has also committed to developing engineering apprenticeships. It will also support supply chain partners to ensure that training and apprenticeship opportunities are made available to employees of those organisations.
The rollout of Project Gigabit is overseen by Building Digital UK (BDUK) – an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).