Fibrus Project Gigabit Broadband Rollout in Cumbria UK Reaches 12,500 Premises

Infracapital-backed network operator Fibrus has today revealed that their £108m publicly funded Project Gigabit broadband rollout contract in Cumbria (Lot 28), which was awarded to the operator in November 2022 (here), has so far managed to reach “almost” 12,500 more homes and businesses. But many more are due to follow.

The contract, which Fibrus says has so far been delivered “on time and within budget“, has gone through the odd modification (here) since it was first announced and is currently valued at £149.75m with an aim to bring the operator’s Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network to a total of around 53,500 extra premises in the hardest to reach areas.

Once completed, alongside other commercial expansion plans (including by other network operators), some 99% of homes and businesses in Cumbria will have access to gigabit broadband. But it’s still not entirely clear when the Project Gigabit roll-out for this county is due to complete.

Jenny Lennon, Managing Director of Hyperfast Networks, said:

“The fibre rollout in Cumbria has been one of the most challenging we’ve encountered, with geographical challenges, heritage sites, and tourism restrictions all playing a role. Reaching this significant milestone under Project Gigabit is a huge achievement.

Stories like Andrew’s are a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. This project is making a lasting impact on digital infrastructure, bringing Full Fibre broadband to those who were previously left behind and truly transforming lives in these communities.”

Focused on our next milestone, we’re excited for the future and fully committed to delivering 99.9% Full Fibre broadband coverage across Cumbria.”

Telecoms Minister, Sir Chris Bryant, said:

“Fast, reliable broadband is essential to help grow businesses and our economy as a whole, and Project Gigabit is rolling out the connectivity to help make this growth a reality for people. For farmers like Andrew, it demonstrates how businesses can thrive with access to great digital connectivity.

We’re breaking down barriers to opportunity and nowhere is this more apparent than in Cumbria, where almost 12,500 more homes and businesses now have access to lightning-fast broadband.”

The operator’s wider full fibre network currently reaches over 410,000 UK premises and has connected 100,000 customers, although most of that has come from their large deployment in Northern Ireland.

Fibrus’ local apprentice training facility, which is situated at the former agricultural college at Newton Rigg (Penrith), has so far also helped 46 apprentices to complete their training, with 74 more set to be trained by 2026.