Connect Fibre is proud to announce our second partnership with Project Gigabit, which will help revolutionise broadband in hard-to-reach areas of Derbyshire.
We have been awarded £33 million government funding that will allow us to build our flawless, full fibre broadband infrastructure, delivering to 17,000 local homes and businesses in rural Derbyshire including villages and hamlets in Eckington, Hulland Ward, Shirley and many other areas.
Our devoted team will be starting work imminently to survey properties, with groundwork expected to start mid-2024 and the first premises expected to be connected in 2025.
At Connect Fibre, collaborating with our local communities holds great importance to us. This means that in addition to delivering high-speed connections, our commitment extends to actively engaging with the community, implementing programmes such as digital training, and allowing residents of all ages to benefit from our full fibre broadband.
This initiative is set to stimulate huge economic growth and empowerment. We will be working with local businesses to ensure they maximise on new high-speed connectivity for their business, as well as providing free gigabit connections for learning and library sites within the Derbyshire community.
Our CEO, Stefan Stanislawski, said:
“Connect Fibre is thrilled to be awarded the Project Gigabit contract to bring full fibre broadband to hard-to-reach parts of Derbyshire. We’re big believers in the transformative power of reliable broadband and are honoured to be delivering to homes and businesses that need it most.
Our commitment to connecting rural communities doesn’t stop at providing broadband, but extends into empowering homes and businesses with everything they need to thrive in today’s digital world. We are excited to get started on this journey and to see the life-changing impact it will have on Derbyshire residents.”
What is Project Gigabit?
Project Gigabit is the government's flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.
These fast, reliable connections delivered by Project Gigabit will play a major role in levelling up rural and remote communities across the UK and tackle pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas.
Having the fastest broadband means households will no longer have to battle over frustrating connections, allowing members of the community to enjoy the freedom to live and work more flexibly. It will also allow businesses to increase their productivity, and allow vital public services to thrive.
Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, Sir John Whittingdale, said:
“Thousands of homes and businesses in rural Derbyshire, from Eckington to Hulland Ward are set to experience lightning-fast broadband - fit for the future.
“Through our flagship Project Gigabit programme, we’re investing billions to make sure hard-to-reach communities like these get access to the transformative gigabit connectivity they deserve.”
Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said:
“It’s great news that more than 17,000 Derbyshire homes and businesses will benefit from this latest roll-out of next generation broadband through Project Gigabit.
“Faster broadband improves everyone’s day-to-day living, enabling people to access health, education, banking and leisure services and more. It’s also critical for business operations, growth and increased productivity.
“This £33m investment by Government will increase speed and reliability in the network for these communities which is critical to levelling up these hard-to-reach communities, particularly in rural areas of our county, where commercial funding alone is insufficient to secure the money necessary to make this build happen.”
Go to our Project Gigabit page to find out more!
