Over 131,000 homes and businesses based in rural and remote areas across the UK are due to receive gigabit-capable broadband, as part of the UK government’s Project Gigabit initiative.
Supported by contracts valued at over £289 million, the rollout will bring ultrafast, reliable broadband to areas including the Isle of Anglesey and Shropshire Hills to help drive economic growth and improve access to online services.
Other benefits of faster broadband will enhance online healthcare, remote learning and job opportunities while allowing businesses to grow and thrive. It will also reduce isolation felt by individuals by allowing high-quality video calls and support remote working and streaming without interruptions.
“It’s encouraging to see the continued investment toward gigabit broadband coverage across the UK, helping those across the country, particularly in rural regions, to get and stay online. At LINX, we are seeing a lot of UK Internet Service Provider (ISP) members increasing their capacity with us as the demand for data grows,” commented Jennifer Holmes, CEO of LINX. “The demand for fast, reliable internet will continue to grow as more homes and businesses throughout the UK adopt gigabit broadband through this scheme.
“To maintain fast connectivity there need to be efficient systems to manage data traffic and cope with the rising demand. Without these systems, users may still face low speeds and higher latency despite the investment. As part of delivering high-speed internet across the UK, LINX is committed to working with industry partners, providing low latency peering services to deliver the best connectivity for their end users.”
Project Gigabit has already delivered gigabit Internet to over 1.1 million locations which are considered hard to reach, with 85% of the UK now covered. The investment will connect areas in Wales, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Devon, Somerset, Essex, North East England, and Worcestershire, ensuring rural communities are no longer left behind.
The government is on track to achieve full gigabit coverage by 2030, investing in 32.2 billion in partnerships with multiple providers.
“High-speed broadband access is vital to empower local regional businesses across the UK, especially in rural areas. Businesses in the regions will be key to unlocking local economic growth and effectively distributing wealth across the country. That requires suitable connectivity and it’s great to see the government recognising the role this plays in breaking down barriers to opportunity with its Plan for Change,” added Sachin Agrawal, UK Managing Director, Zoho. “Investment and improvement in rural connectivity provides businesses with greater choice when selecting office locations and gives them the option to move away from crowded urban centres and reduce overheads. Alongside cost savings, this also improves flexibility for employees who can be closer to their families.
“The success of regional businesses relies on fast, reliable connectivity, paired with technology to enable real-time communication and collaboration. The combination of internet connectivity and unified systems that bring data together and facilitate constant collaboration play an important role in delivering a seamless employee experience, promoting collaboration regardless of location.”
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