More than 20,000 homes and businesses in rural East Yorkshire will soon get access to lightning-fast broadband.
Rural broadband provider Quickline has won a £120m contract to connect hard-to-reach premises in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, under the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme. In total, over 20,000 premises in East Yorkshire will benefit from Quickline’s network of fibre broadband.
Areas covered under the rollout stretch from Holme upon Spalding Moor to Kilham, near Driffield, and Easington in Holderness. As a result of the investment, Quickline will also expand its commercial network in East Yorkshire to reach even more premises.
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As well as the £120m contract covering parts of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, Quickline has also been awarded a new £70m contract to provide fibre broadband to rural areas In North Yorkshire. In total, Quickline has now been awarded four Project Gigabit contracts, spanning North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
It brings the total public investment in full fibre broadband delivered by Quickline to nearly £300 million. Quickline CEO Sean Royce said: “The award of these contracts underlines our position as the primary Project Gigabit broadband provider in rural Yorkshire.
“We are now the UK’s second largest Project Gigabit regional delivery partner and the only provider to be awarded a contract serving England’s largest county, Yorkshire, under the programme.
“We are a regionally focused provider, and through our work as part of the Project Gigabit programme and beyond, we’re laser focused on delivering on our mission to connect rural communities to a world of possibilities.”
Project Gigabit is a government-funded programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast, gigabit-capable broadband.
It targets homes and businesses that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds, due to their rural location.
Gigabit-capable broadband delivers faster speeds and fewer dropouts. Unlike traditional copper-based networks, gigabit connections won’t slow down at peak times, meaning no more battling for bandwidth with the neighbours.
Digital Infrastructure Minister Chris Bryant said: "Accelerating the rollout of fast broadband and modernising the country’s digital infrastructure is crucial to kickstarting an era of sustained economic growth in every part of the UK.
“Our £190m investment in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire will heal the headache of endless buffering felt by too many in rural communities, while building the infrastructure needed to attract new investment and ensure the benefits of digital technology reverberate across every corner of the country.”
The awarding of the two new contracts will also see Quickline broaden its commitment to skills, training and community support under its extensive social values programme.
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As part of Project Gigabit, Quickline has committed to create more than 200 apprenticeships in the areas covered by the contracts through collaboration with build partners, as well as delivering over 2,500 accredited training courses and online work experience for 1,400 students.
Cllr David Tucker, Deputy Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "The East Riding of Yorkshire is currently in a strong position with 86 per cent gigabit-capable broadband coverage.
“This has been achieved through both public and commercial investment. However, there are still residents and businesses for whom a reliable, fast broadband connection is a challenge, especially in rural areas.
“This contract award demonstrates a significant investment in our region, providing over 20,000 rural premises with gigabit-capable broadband, with the potential to increase our gigabit coverage to over 95 per cent.”
Quickline is now a leading provider for the Government’s fibre connectivity programme, designed to tackle the digital divide between urban and rural areas, and deliver gigabit-capable broadband to those that need it most.
