Up to 20,000 rural homes and businesses in the East Riding of Yorkshire are to get improved broadband connections as part of a government scheme.
Broadband supplier Quickline has been awarded contracts worth nearly £300 million to provide improved broadband in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, including 20,000 rural premises in the East Riding.
The funding is part of Project Gigabit, a government programme of £5 billion investment to enable hard-to-reach communities to access gigabit-capable broadband.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council will continue to work collaboratively with BDUK, Lincolnshire County Council, North Lincolnshire Council, North East Lincolnshire Council and the supplier, to ensure that the project meets its deliverables in a timely manner.
This access to improved broadband speeds in rural areas is designed to boost economic growth, create jobs and enhance educational attainment.
The government has set an overall coverage target of at least 85% of UK premises being able to access a gigabit-capable network by 2025, and then nationwide coverage by 2030.
Project Gigabit is targeting homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ commercial plans and currently have speeds of less than 100 megabits per second.
This will reach parts of the East Riding of Yorkshire that might otherwise miss out on getting the digital connectivity they need.
Project Gigabit is expected to start in the East Riding in the coming months and will run for the next four years.
The premises that are to be included in the East Riding will be known in the coming months and will be announced soon.
Councillor David Tucker, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader said: “The East Riding is currently in a strong position with 86% gigabit-capable broadband coverage. This has been achieved through both public and commercial investment.
“However, there are still residents and businesses for whom a reliable, fast broadband connection is a challenge, especially in rural areas.
“Delivery of many commercial and public services is increasingly dependent on good quality internet access, and it is also critical to the delivery of the council’s digital strategy.
“This contract award demonstrates a significant investment in our region, providing up to 20,000 rural premises with gigabit-capable broadband, with the potential to increase our gigabit coverage to over 95%.
“Improved digital connectivity will ensure the council can fully make use of digital solutions, to provide the very best service to our local communities and help maximise our economic potential.”
Quickline CEO Sean Royce said: “The award of these latest contracts underlines our position as the primary Project Gigabit broadband provider in rural Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
“We have now won all four contracts we have bid for, making us the UK’s second largest Project Gigabit regional delivery partner and the only provider to be awarded a contract serving England’s largest county, Yorkshire, under the programme.
“We are a regionally focused provider, and through our work as part of the Project Gigabit programme and beyond, we’re laser focused on delivering on our mission to connect rural communities to a world of possibilities when it comes to having access to fast and reliable broadband and our desire to make a positive social impact and create economic growth for these rural areas.”
Gigabit-capable broadband provides a download speed of at least 1 gigabit per second (or 1000 megabits per second). It is at least twenty times faster than the current average broadband speed in the UK and will allow you to download a high definition film in less than 1 minute.
For more information, please visit the Broadband East Riding website at https://broadband.eastriding.gov.uk/ or for any queries, the team can be contacted at broadband@eastriding.gov.uk
