Better broadband for rural Northumberland under £5bn government project

More than 3,750 rural premises in North Northumberland will gain access to “faster and more reliable” broadband after a multi-million pound contract was awarded under the government’s Project Gigabit scheme.

Borderlink Broadband, trading as GoFibre, will work with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Northumberland County Council to enable thousands of hard-to-reach homes and businesses to access gigabit-capable broadband, made possible by £7.3m of DCMS investment.

The project will cover towns, villages and hamlets across the area including premises near to Berwick-upon-Tweed and Wooler, subject to further survey completion. The contract has been signed and planning is now underway, with construction due to begin in Spring 2023.

The multi-million-pound contract is the second GoFibre will deliver in the North of England under Project Gigabit, following the recent announcement that the Scottish independent broadband provider will provide gigabit-capable connection to more than 4,000 homes and businesses in Teesdale under a £6.6m contract.

Gigabit-capable networks are said to be “lightning-fast and fit for the future”, allowing communities to upload and download data with none of the disruptions associated with ageing copper networks.

More than 70 per cent of the UK can access gigabit connections, such as full fibre, but these are mostly in urban areas which is why the government is investing £5bn to connect hard-to-reach areas that might otherwise miss out.

Sam Calvert, chief revenue officer at GoFibre, commented: “At GoFibre, everything we do is guided by our mission to support the development and prosperity of local communities across Northern England and Scotland with high-quality broadband services.

“We’re delighted to have been awarded our second contract as a trusted partner under the government’s Project Gigabit scheme with today’s announcement providing an exciting opportunity for us to extend our services to the people of North Northumberland.

“Having already embedded ourselves within the Berwick community, we’re strengthening our ties with North Northumberland by helping locals to connect with each other and thrive, thanks to a reliable broadband connection.

“This opens up opportunities for economic growth, education and employment with everybody deserving access to world class connectivity which we’re looking forward to bringing to North Northumberland.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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