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Articles for Category Tag - Project Gigabit

Cross Party MPs Examine UK Rural Broadband and Mobile Divide

11th May, 2021 (6 Comments)

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Rural Business and the Rural Powerhouse, which is an informal cross-party group formed by UK MPs and members of the House of Lords, has begun a new inquiry that will explore whether the government has “given up” on bridging the digital divide (mobile and broadband connectivity).

BDUK Consults on Gigabit Broadband Coverage in Cambridgeshire

9th May, 2021 (4 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK team has begun a new consultation to identify any existing or planned commercial coverage of gigabit-capable broadband ISP networks in Cambridgeshire and nearby areas (England), which helps to establish the areas where public investment may be needed to deploy the service.

broadband vouchers ultrafast gigabit uk full fibre by 123rf

New UK Gigabit Voucher Scheme Terms Add Satellite and Caveats UPDATE

6th April, 2021 (16 Comments)

As part of their £5bn Project Gigabit programme the UK Government will this week (8th April) start a new rural focused £210m gigabit broadband voucher scheme. A quick look at the new Terms and Conditions for this reveals some key changes, such as the inclusion of satellite, a £100k funding cap on project changes and other caveats.

Pound sterling broadband voucher by 123rf (100296328)

Anger as New Gigabit Broadband Vouchers Exclude Some Villages UPDATE

26th March, 2021 (21 Comments)

The Government’s new £210m UK Gigabit Voucher scheme, which is due to launch on 8th April 2021 and will help to spread 1Gbps capable broadband into some of the most remote rural areas, is facing somewhat of a backlash from communities that may find some or all of their homes being excluded under the new eligibility criteria.

Poor Broadband Means UK Gov Stuck with BBC TV Licence Fee

25th March, 2021 (93 Comments)

The Government’s recently proposed idea of replacing the BBC TV Licence fee with a Netflix-style subscription model after 2027 (here), assuming universal coverage of “fast” (or gigabit) broadband is achieved, has been rubbished by a new report from the cross-part DCMS Select Committee.

BDUK Start Open Market Review for UK Project Gigabit Phase 1

25th March, 2021 (18 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK team has today launched an Open Market Review (OMR) for Phase 1b and 1a of their new £5bn Project Gigabit broadband roll-out scheme, which is the process used to identify the commercial coverage plans for 1Gbps networks over the next 3 years (i.e. confirms where public money will be needed).

Gov Starts GBP5bn UK Gigabit Broadband and Voucher Schemes UPDATE

19th March, 2021 (53 Comments)

The UK Government has today revealed new details of how their £5bn gigabit broadband roll-out scheme will work and rebranded it as “Project Gigabit“. As part of that they’ve also confirmed £210m for an extension of their rural Gigabit Voucher scheme and £110m to connect up to 7,000 rural GP surgeries, libraries and schools.

BDUK Consults on Gigabit Broadband Coverage in Essex UK

18th March, 2021 (6 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK team has today begun a new consultation to help them identify what existing or planned commercial gigabit-capable broadband coverage exists in Essex (England), which will help to establish the areas where public investment may be needed to deploy the service.

Scotland Update on R100 Progress and Broadband Voucher Delays UPDATE

18th March, 2021 (11 Comments)

The Scottish Government‘s Connectivity Minister, Paul Wheelhouse, has given a progress update on their £579m Reaching 100% (R100) project, which is extending “superfast broadband” (30Mbps+) to the final 5-6% of poorly served premises (mostly via FTTP). The main focus was on voucher delays and the LOT 1 (Highlands) contract.

network cables and fiber optic closeup with keyboard background

Ofcom Unveils 2021 Changes to Boost UK Full Fibre Broadband UPDATE

18th March, 2021 (55 Comments)

Ofcom has today published the outcome of their Wholesale Fixed Telecoms Market Review 2021-26 (FTMR), which sets out how various changes (Dark Fibre Access, copper retirement, regulation that varies by geographic area etc.) will be used to boost UK investment in “full fibre” broadband and high capacity Ethernet services.

Gov May Scrap BBC TV Licence Once Fast UK Broadband is Universal

2nd March, 2021 (97 Comments)

The UK Government’s Minister of State for Media and Data (DCMS), John Whittingdale MP, has indicated that the BBC’s TV licence fee could be scrapped once everybody in the country finally has access to faster broadband connectivity. The idea may be considered for when the corporation’s royal charter expires in 2027.

New UK Infrastructure Bank May Boost Gigabit Broadband and 5G

28th February, 2021 (7 Comments)

The HM Treasury has announced that its plan to setup a new UK Infrastructure Bank, which was first proposed in last year’s Spending Review, will be supported by an initial £12bn in capital investment and £10bn in loan guarantees. In theory this could help to unlock more private investment, such as to boost the gigabit broadband rollout.

GBP5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Rollout Starts in Central Scotland

27th February, 2021 (20 Comments)

In a surprise twist the UK Government has technically started the rollout phase of their £5bn Gigabit Broadband Programme early by reaching a unique agreement with the Scottish Government’s existing £579m Reaching 100% (R100) project, which will see them replace FTTC with FTTP in rural parts of Central Scotland.

BDUK Consults on Gigabit Broadband Coverage in Cumbria UK

9th February, 2021 (5 Comments)

The Government’s Building Digital UK programme has begun a new consultation to help them identify what existing or planned commercial gigabit-capable broadband coverage exists in Cumbria (England), which will help to establish the areas where public investment may be needed to rollout the service.

Draft Strategy for £5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Rollout Published UPDATE

22nd December, 2020 (24 Comments)

The Government has today published the draft procurement strategy for their new £5bn Gigabit Broadband Programme (F20), which is a consultation on their plan to ensure that gigabit-capable networks reach a “minimum” of 85% UK coverage by the end of 2025 (before getting “as close to 100% as possible” thereafter).

Government Start £5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Plan for 85%+ by 2025 UPDATE

25th November, 2020 (39 Comments)

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has today published his 2020 Spending Review and in so doing has kicked off the new £5bn UK Gigabit Broadband Programme, which previously aimed to ensure that “every home” could access a 1Gbps capable connection by the end of 2025 but now expects a “minimum” of 85% coverage by that date.