Project Gigabit roll out set to accelerate
In answer to a whirlwind of activity by Britain’s leading internet service provider (ISP), the nation’s two biggest independent broadband companies have unveiled plans to ramp up the pace of full-fibre network connectivity delivery.
The plan is to specifically target underserved areas in the UK to propel long-term competition on a national scale in the fibre broadband access market.
Under the banner of the UK government scheme Project Gigabit, CityFibre, regarded as Britain’s biggest independent fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) platform, has started work to connect over 57,000 businesses and homes across hard-to-reach parts of East and West Sussex so they have access to full-fibre broadband.
Meanwhile, network operator nexfibre announced that it has now reached two million homes and businesses, and has become the second largest alt-network operator in the nation.
Commenting on the new deployment, Chris Bryant, UK telecoms minister said:
“This government investment delivers faster internet – in turn helping businesses to grow, securing more jobs, and ensuring everyone has the digital access they need to thrive in the modern world.”
Valued at £5 billion, the largescale Project Gigabit programme was originally introduced back in 2021. The goal was to accelerate the country’s recovery following the pandemic, giving a boost to high-growth sectors like creative and tech industries, creating jobs, spreading wealth and levelling up the UK.
When launched, the programme sought to prioritise parts of the country with slow internet connections that were viewed as falling behind in plans established by commercial broadband companies. It aimed to give communities in harder-to-reach rural areas access to the market’s fastest broadband, helping grow the UK economy. This has now also extended to underserved urban locations.