Lightning-fast broadband will be delivered to tens of thousands of Kent homes and businesses after a £112 million contract was signed under the government’s national Project Gigabit rollout.
Independent broadband provider Cityfibre will deliver top-of-the-range full fibre connections to around 50,000 rural premises in the county which, without government intervention, would have missed out on the industry’s rollout of faster, more reliable ‘gigabit-capable’ broadband.
Full fibre is capable of delivering speeds of up to 1,000 megabits (or one gigabit) per second - up to 30 times faster than superfast connections which rely on traditional copper cables. Gigabit speeds mean households can download a high-definition film in under one minute, stream and download entertainment and shop online across several different devices at once.
The upgrades will help grow the economy and create jobs by making it easier to set up a business and mean rural Kent communities will have access to networks designed to meet people’s needs for decades to come as the demand for fast connections continues to rise.
Rural communities across the county will benefit, including those surrounding Ashford, Canterbury, Medway, Sheppey, Sevenoaks, the Weald, Tunbridge Wells and many others.
Now the contract is signed, Cityfibre will begin detailed surveying work with spades expected to enter the ground from the summer.
The contract is one of several announced today as part of a £453million commitment to delivering next-generation broadband to around 236,000 hard-to-reach homes and businesses across England.
More than £1billion in contracts have now been awarded through Project Gigabit to connect around 677,000 homes and businesses, with tens of millions of pounds worth of additional contracts to be awarded across the country in the coming weeks.
The UK is building gigabit networks faster than any country in the EU, thanks in part to government measures to stimulate competition and bust barriers to rollout. Last month the government announced that gigabit coverage had reached 80 per cent of the UK, up from just 6 per cent in 2019, and the UK is on track to achieve 85 per cent by 2025.
As a result of this investment, CityFibre has committed to offer 40 apprenticeships - a minimum of eight per year - across the UK in telecoms and highways maintenance for the duration of the contract, giving young people the chance to develop vital new skills and build a rewarding career. It comes as the country marks National Apprenticeship Week, a government-led campaign celebrating the impact apprentices make to communities, businesses, and the wider economy.
Huge step forward
Data and Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez, said: “Today marks a huge step forward for bringing our digital revolution to rural towns and villages across Kent. It means tens of thousands of premises will get access to the top-of-the-range broadband thanks to government’s Project Gigabit, helping to drive economic growth, create jobs and put an end to snail’s pace internet speeds.”
Bringing the benefits of full fibre
CityFibre CEO, Greg Mesch, said: “We’re thrilled CityFibre has been selected to deliver government’s Project Gigabit programme in Kent, bringing the benefits of full fibre connectivity to thousands of hard-to-reach homes and businesses that have so far been left behind.
“The rollout builds on our significant existing footprint in the region and thanks to Project Gigabit, we’ll be expanding our commercial build even further to include thousands more homes and businesses.”
Welcome this important investment
Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council, said: “We welcome this important investment into Medway’s digital infrastructure as part of the national Project Gigabit programme. These improvements, which will be funded by the government and overseen by Building Digital UK, will help enable access to fast and reliable broadband to the more rural businesses and residents in Medway.”
Vital connections delivered
Cllr Derek Murphy, Cabinet Member for Economic Development at Kent County Council, said: “We welcome this investment in Kent’s broadband infrastructure and look forward to seeing these vital connections delivered as soon as possible by this nationally led programme.”