Wessex Internet has started work to bring full fibre broadband to communities across Dorset and south Somerset that will help connect 21,400 residents.
Tue, 3/12/2024 - 11:06
Project Gigabit has provided news about its recent rollouts across the UK since its last update in April 2024, with new contracts signed in the north of England.
Three new contracts were signed covering Lincolnshire and East Riding, Cheshire, and north Yorkshire, alongside signing a cross regional framework agreement with Openreach and awarded the first two call-off contracts under the framework.
The Scottish Government also launched the first Project Gigabit procurements in Scotland, covering the Border areas and East-Lothian, and Dundee, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
The Northern Ireland Executive has launched a single regional procurement, expected to cover approximately 11,000 premises.
As of late November, ThinkBroadband reports that 85 percent of UK premises are now able to access a gigabit-capable connection, up from 84 percent at the time of the last quarterly update.
There are over 30 contracts in place across England and Wales, supporting the deployment of gigabit-capable broadband to around 1m premises.
In addition to the two call-off contracts already awarded under the cross-regional framework (Type C), four more call-offs have been launched in areas including east and south Shropshire, mid and south Devon, Essex, and Worcestershire.
These procurements are hoped to be finished in early 2025.
With most Project Gigabit contracts now awarded and only a small number of active or upcoming procurements remaining, any future quarterly reporting will focus on the delivery progress of live contracts and other interventions.
