In a bid to enhance connectivity in rural areas across the UK, Openreach has initiated delivering full fibre broadband to 38 communities as part of Project Gigabit. Previously bypassed by commercial broadband efforts, these locations include Lacock, Broad Hinton, Dane End, Castle Caereinion, Llanwrin, and Meeth. By focusing on challenging areas, Openreach aims to reach 290,000 properties that were not financially feasible for commercial investment.
The community of Meeth is already reaping the benefits of enhanced connectivity. Mike Tunnicliffe, landlord of The Bull and Dragon pub, noted the transformative impact on business and education. “Just because we’re in the middle of nowhere, doesn’t mean we’re disconnected anymore. As Chair of the Parish Council, I know that having connectivity coming into the village is going to allow businesses and the community to grow. There’s a lot of families that home school and it’s going to make their lives a lot easier as well.” These infrastructure improvements have the potential to elevate economic growth significantly.
The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) highlights substantial economic benefits from adopting gigabit infrastructure. According to analysis, UK GDP could see a £66 billion boost by 2029. Furthermore, this connectivity is expected to bring over 600,000 back into the workforce and enable more than one million people to work remotely.
Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant expressed optimism, stating, “I’m delighted to see the first premises successfully connected thanks to this landmark contract with Openreach, which will see some 290,000 homes and businesses connected in some of the hardest-to-reach places in the UK.” Emphasizing the importance, he continued, “Poor connectivity has kept rural communities back for too long, but through Project Gigabit we’re removing barriers to opportunity and bringing fast, reliable broadband to homes and businesses that need it most.”
While government-backed initiatives continue, Openreach is also advancing its commercial fibre deployment. Presently, the company connects over 70,000 new premises weekly and aims to reach 18 million homes and businesses. This scope is expected to expand to 25 million by 2026 and potentially 30 million by 2030.
