162,000 more UK homes received gigabit-capable broadband in 2023
Almost 1 million homes now have access to ultrafast broadband connections following another successful year for the UK government’s Project Gigabit initiative.
A further 162,600 rural homes and businesses were switched on between January and December, thanks to the work of telecom providers across the country.
Sir John Whittingdale, the Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, said that he was delighted with the progress.
This is not surprising considering the pace of the rollout – back in 2019, just 10% of households had gigabit coverage, but this has since soared to 79% today.
There is still a locational divide though – in England, 80% of ‘urban’ premises are switched on, but this figure drops to 48% for ‘rural’ properties.
A recent flurry of contracts suggests that 2024 will again be a banner year for the project.
A £33.4m deal was struck in Derbyshire earlier this week to deliver speeds of 1Gbps to homes in the region.
Sir John said that 2024 will be another “important year” as more hard-to-reach areas are targeted.
The latest update from the government shows that it now has 16 contracts in place, which totals more than £2bn in investment.
Recent work has been completed in Staffordshire and Oxfordshire, where 33,000 homes and businesses can now sign up for gigabit-capable broadband.
Areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland are next on the list, with 160,000 premises set to be covered.
The Gigabit Project is now on track to serve 85% of all UK premises before 2026.
Sir John concluded that the work is “transforming lives for generations to come”.