£488m government plan to boost 218,00 rural homes and businesses connectivity

Rural homes and businesses are set to benefit from CityFibre securing £318m of government funding to deliver digital infrastructure alongside a private investment of £170m.

London headquartered CityFibre, the UK’s largest independent full-fibre provider, will deliver gigabit-capable infrastructure for around 218,000 homes and businesses in Norfolk, Suffolk and Hampshire who will be given access to lightning fast broadband connection.

The funding comes as part of Project Gigabit, the government’s £5bn mission to roll out gigabit-capable, reliable broadband across the UK providing individuals with the ability to bank online, conduct business, shop, communicate and stream entertainment.

Survey work will commence immediately which will build upon the gigabit coverage across the UK as it jumps to 76 per cent, up from 6 per cent at the start of 2019, providing broadband services over a network capable of supporting speeds of up to 10Gbps.

Elizabeth Anderson, interim CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, commented: “Government funding is essential to tackling digital exclusion, particularly in rural areas, and it is excellent to see the work with CityFibre continue to deliver a nationwide broadband rollout.

“Going without broadband has a detrimental impact on people’s daily lives, preventing them from accessing core services such as digital banking, online healthcare and education resources, so maintaining investment in these schemes is vital.

“Ensuring affordable connectivity for those in need is one of the core missions recently set out by the DPA’s National Delivery Plan and it is important that affordability on a sustainable basis is considered alongside any broadband rollout to make it truly accessible.

“Building on broadband initiatives is a positive step but there is still significant work to be done to support the millions across the UK who suffer from digital poverty, going without essential online services.

“Continued rollouts alongside digital skills training and access to devices must be at the forefront of government policy, businesses and communities to collectively tackle digital exclusion.”

Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, Sir John Whittingdale, added: “Access to lightning-speed broadband is key to the government’s plans for driving economic growth and levelling up communities. This investment of £318m in government funding is a significant milestone in achieving that mission.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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