Connecting UK’s fastest broadband

Six projects are underway that will bring full fibre networks and connection speeds of 1,000 Megabits per second to these areas of the UK.

High speed broadband is being piloted in six different regions of the UK as part of the first stage of a £200M scheme that will bring the UK’s fastest and most reliable broadband to businesses, schools and hospitals.

The projects will benefit from some £10M in funding to test innovative ways of connecting offices and public sector buildings with the next generation of broadband. The result is an incredibly reliable connection that can offer speeds of One Gigabit.

The pilot sites for the project are based in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, West Sussex, Coventry and Warwickshire, Bristol and Bath & North East Somerset, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

Development of the networks comes as part of a £200M programme unveiled by Chancellor Philip Hammond, at the Spring Budget. The four-year plan by the government is intended to stimulate the market and encourage the growth of full fibre up and down the country. The remaining budget will be spent on further projects running to 2020-21.

The development of the pilot schemes follows the July announcement of the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, unlocking more than £1Bn for full fibre broadband, as well as new legislation to enable business rates relief for new fibre.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones MP, said: “How we live and work today is directly affected by how good our broadband connection is. Reliable connections enable new industries to flourish, help create jobs and give people flexibility in how and where they work.

“For our economy to thrive, it is vital we make smart investments to ensure our digital infrastructure is world class and fit for the future.

“Full fibre connections are the gold standard and we are proud to announce today the next step to get Britain better connected.”

Minister of State for Digital, Matt Hancock MP, said: “We want to see more commercial investment in the gold standard connectivity that full fibre provides, and these innovative pilots will help create the right environment for this to happen. To keep Britain as the digital world leader that it is, we need to have the right infrastructure in place to allow us to keep up with the rapid advances in technology now and in the future.

“The cutting-edge technology will make internet access more secure and enable more people to work remotely without disruption, as well as equipping the UK’s homes, businesses and public services for applications of the future.”

Benefits of full fibre broadband include:

• hospitals could share HD quality graphics of medical scans in seconds to improve diagnosis speeds
• businesses would reach ever more customers online, increasing transactions by uploading even the largest files quickly and easily
• school classrooms would see a vast increase the number of pupils who can stream educational videos at the same time

 

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