Wales is set to benefit for the first time from a programme to provide lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband to rural businesses and homes.
Around £170 million in UK Government investment will be made available to deliver top-of-the-range ‘gigabit-capable’ broadband for around 70,000 hard-to-reach premises in Wales, as figures show it records the lowest levels of gigabit connectivity in Great Britain.
It will apply to some of the most remote parts of the country from the South Wales Valleys to the Llyn Peninsula.
It is the first UK Government contract under Project Gigabit to boost connection in Wales, which had until now not benefitted from the support.
The deal, which is part of a wider UK Government plan which will make up to £800 million available to deliver gigabit connection across Great Britain, is set to provide lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband to Welsh communities that would otherwise be left behind with poor digital infrastructure. The UK Government says it will help meet the growing demand for reliable connectivity, stimulating local rural economies and reducing regional disparities, by enabling remote working and attract new businesses.
The landmark deal with telecoms provider Openreach represents one of the biggest milestones in the rollout of Project Gigabit, which targets places too expensive for providers to reach in their commercial build and which would otherwise be left behind with poor digital infrastructure. It is designed to help meet the growing demand for reliable connectivity, stimulating local rural economies and reducing regional disparities by enabling remote working and attracting new businesses.
Contracts worth £288 million have already been signed with Openreach under the agreement to connect approximately 96,600 homes and businesses in England and, for the first time, Wales. Areas to benefit include and North West, Mid and South East Wales, as well as some English regions.
Talks are now underway with Openreach to agree further contracts to benefit around 215,800 more premises across Wales, England and Scotland, with more announcements expected in the coming months.
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle said:
“The signing of this major contract with Openreach ensures we are on track to achieve full gigabit coverage by 2030.
“Robust digital infrastructure is vital for competitiveness, productivity and growth, and we are committed to delivering for hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, focusing particularly on areas that have been left behind, such as Wales.”
The UK Government said the announcement would also improve learning opportunities for students, who will be able to gain better access to online resources and remote learning platforms, as well as healthcare patients, who will be able to further rely on remote consultations.
Minister for Digital Infrastructure Chris Bryant said:
“Communities across Wales are set to benefit from our deal with Openreach, from young pupils having an easier time completing their homework to seafarers in the Vale of Glamorgan feeling more connected personally and professionally.”
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
“I’m delighted that so many people in harder to reach areas in Wales will be benefitting from this deal between the UK Government and Openreach. We are all increasingly dependent on high-speed broadband to work efficiently, access vital services and enjoy our leisure time.
“At the moment we have too many people, especially in the more remote areas, of Wales who can’t properly access the online world, and I’m pleased that thanks to this substantial investment from the UK Government work on fixing that is starting now.”
Clive Selley, CEO of Openreach said:
“Research shows that full fibre provides a host of economic, social and environmental benefits – and I believe we’re the best in the business at delivering it.
“I’m proud we’ve been chosen, through a fiercely competitive process, and we’re already cracking on with the job.
“This is a British infrastructure success story. Our network already reaches more than 15 million urban and rural premises and, wherever we build, we bring the widest choice of providers for customers. I’m confident we can reach as many as 30 million homes by the end of the decade if the conditions remain supportive.”
Trinity House, a charity dedicated to safeguarding lighthouses and maritime navigation aids in Wales and England, is set to benefit from this investment.
Chief Executive Rear Admiral Iain Lower welcomed the rollout:
“As an organisation that works in remote parts of the nation, we applaud this rollout by Openreach and Government. This rollout will, among other things, help our operational teams work, connect and live better at our remote lighthouses, an invaluable improvement for when they are away from their homes and families.
“Looking at the wider benefits, improved working conditions help ensure that our lighthouses work exactly as expected for the tens of thousands of mariners in our waters that rely on our aids to navigation. Safer seas make for a more prosperous island nation, as we depend on merchant shipping to carry 95% of the goods we use daily.”
