Connect Fibre is thrilled to announce our partnership with Project Gigabit to revolutionise broadband in North East Staffordshire.
On behalf of the government, we have been awarded a £16.5 million contract, that will allow us to bring our flawless full fibre broadband to Staffordshire villages including Longnor, Marchington, and Alstonefield.
Our dedicated team will be surveying around 6,000 premises in these rural communities, groundwork will then start in April 2024 with the first premises expected to be connected in 2025.
At Connect Fibre, working with our local communities is important to us. This means that as well as providing high-speed connections, we will also be working with the community and investing in a broad range of socio-economic projects, including supporting businesses to maximise their connection, offering free connections to community libraries and providing digital skills training.
Our CEO, Stefan Stanislawski, said:
“Connect Fibre is incredibly proud and honoured to be awarded the Project Gigabit contract to deliver full fibre broadband to the Staffordshire Moorlands and beyond. Delivering real, reliable broadband will change the lives of people living in rural areas and the region as a whole.
With our smart farming programme and free gigabit connections for community learning and library sites, our commitment to supporting the community goes beyond just broadband.
We are excited to embark on this journey and look forward to witnessing the positive impact it will have on residents in the region."
Project Gigabit is the government's flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.
These fast, reliable connections delivered by Project Gigabit will play a major role in levelling up rural and remote communities across the UK and tackle pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas.
Having the fastest broadband means households will no longer have to battle over frustrating connections, allowing members of the community to enjoy the freedom to live and work more flexibly. It will also allow businesses to increase their productivity, and allow vital public services to thrive.
Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for environment, infrastructure and climate change, Simon Tagg, said:
“Access to gigabit capable broadband speeds is essential to our communities and businesses and so it’s excellent to see this reach extended by Connect Fibre through Project Gigabit.
Faster broadband improves everyone’s day-to-day living, enabling people to access health, education, banking and leisure services and more. It is also critical for business operations, growth and increased productivity."
The Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, Sir John Whittingdale, said:
“Lightning-fast gigabit broadband will make sure households don't have to deal with slow internet anymore, and businesses can get more done without problems from old-fashioned copper networks. That's why we're investing billions in upgrading local networks through our £5 billion Project Gigabit investment.
In Staffordshire communities, thousands of residents will experience the benefit of high speed connectivity - supporting business operations, fostering growth, and boosting productivity.
Work will now begin in these areas and by cultivating the fastest connections, we are not just addressing current needs but positioning the UK for a future where our broadband infrastructure remains resilient for decades to come.”
Register your interest today to stay up-to-date with our progress and all the latest news on our partnership with Project Gigabit!