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Gigabit broadband rolled out to almost 380,000 in rural areas in 2024

Almost 380,000 rural premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, with government investing £714 million in its rollout this year.

Households will be able to download high-definition films in under one minute, stream and download entertainment and shop online across several devices at once. Full fibre broadband will also make it easier for rural residents to set up businesses, increasing local productivity and delivering long-term growth.

Areas set to benefit include Yorkshire, The Isles of Scilly and Dorset, with the funding forming part of the UK Government's flagship £5 billion Project Gigabit programme.

The funding brings the total invested so far to £1.3 billion. Almost 82 per cent of properties across the country can now access gigabit-capable broadband, up from just 7 per cent this time five years ago.

Minister for Data and Digital, Julia Lopez, said, "Connectivity has never been more important for people and businesses. It is increasingly becoming the enabler for so many services that we rely on every day, from using maps to doing business.

"The figures published today demonstrate how rapidly we are delivering higher quality gigabit broadband to every part of the country – even some of the most remote rural areas.

"Whether that be for a business on the coast of Cornwall or the hills of the Peak District, patchy and poor connection should never be a barrier to economic growth or somebody’s life chances."

As part of this year's investment, the government has today also announced £165 million in contracts to build full fibre networks in areas spanning South Yorkshire, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Herefordshire, the Forest of Dean, the Peak District, Dorset and Somerset.

Almost 90,000 premises are set to benefit from the contracts, with full fibre connections capable of delivering speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second.

More than 1 million rural homes, businesses and public buildings have already been upgraded to gigabit-capable networks.

Properties connected through Project Gigabit are in hard-to-reach rural locations, where residents and businesses previously would have struggled to perform basic online tasks because of poor connection.

Added to this, the government has awarded separate contracts to connect up to 800 primary schools in England, jointly funded through Project Gigabit and the Department for Education. The Schools Gigabit Connectivity Project will help students and teachers access the latest digital technology in education.

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