Remote communities throughout Britain are poised for a substantial connectivity uplift with the Government set to announce almost £300 million in fresh broadband contracts. The announcement signifies more than 130,000 remote homes will be linked to high-speed gigabit internet as part of Labour’s dubbed Plan for Change.
The advancement for these typically overlooked regions follows the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology confirming four contracts valued at over £289 million have been signed with Openreach. Locations slated for enhancement comprise Dee Valley, Anglesey in Wales, Shropshire Hills, Herefordshire, Devon, Somerset, Essex, the North East, and Worcestershire.
The Government envisions that swifter broadband speeds will benefit the NHS by allowing an increase in patients to have consultations and monitoring appointments remotely, which would alleviate pressure on hospital and GP service capacities. Moreover, it is anticipated to combat loneliness by facilitating smoother video call communication between friends and family members.
Peter Kyle, the Science Secretary, told the Daily Express: “There is so much our modern digital world has to offer – from online healthcare to keeping in touch with friends and family – but a lack of fast and reliable broadband has excluded people from so many of these benefits.”
He further stated: “This is why, since coming into office, I have made it my priority to harness the power of digital innovation to shrink existing divides across our society, so no matter where you live you can benefit from what the online world has to offer.”, reports the Express.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we’re addressing these gaps and moving closer to our goal of achieving full gigabit coverage by 2030.”
The new £289million contracts announced today build on the £800million agreement signed with Openreach in August, which connected 97,000 premises to the UK’s expanding gigabit internet network. Project Gigabit is now delivering ultrafast speeds to over 1.1million premises in hard-to-reach areas.
Openreach chief executive Clive Selley stated: “Our new full fibre broadband network now reaches more than half of all properties in the UK, and we’re confident we can reach as many as 30million premises by the end of the decade, assuming the right regulatory and investment conditions exist.”
“This is a British infrastructure success story which experts say will boost productivity by £73billion and bring a raft of social and environmental benefits for the country.”
“We believe that everyone deserves access to fast and reliable broadband, and we’re proud that this partnership will help extend our ultra-fast, ultra-reliable network to areas that would otherwise be left behind by the private sector.”
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