Fastershire to deliver ultra fast broadband in the Cotswolds
8th June, 2015
Ultra fast download and upload
speeds of up to 1Gbps will be delivered using Fibre to the Premises technology
to 6,495 hard to reach homes and businesses in the Cotswolds under phase two of
the Fastershire project.
This means that by the end of the
rollout in 2017, some of the most difficult to reach communities such as
Guiting Power, Chedworth, Whelford, Bibury and Icomb will get ultra fast
broadband.
This expansion represents
Fastershire’s first step in reaching beyond the 90 per cent coverage for faster
broadband being delivered in phase one of the project.
Geoffrey Clifton Brown, MP for the
Cotswolds, said: “The announcement that 6,495 homes in some of the harder to
reach areas of The Cotswolds will receive a good broadband service sounds like
wonderful news.
During the election I campaigned
on the theme that I would work to deliver a good broadband service for most
people in The Cotswolds. This announcement looks like it will go a long way to
fulfil that pledge.”
Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said:
“Fastershire was the first national broadband project to develop a plan for
reaching the final 10 per cent of homes and businesses with faster broadband.
“Fastershire phase two will enable
us to provide faster broadband to some of the county’s most difficult and
isolated areas. We look forward to the opportunities that the improved
broadband speeds will bring to the Cotswolds.”
The total rollout budget for this contract is £10 million, with £3M coming
from Fastershire’s Superfast Extension Programme (SEP) and up to £7M from
private investment by Gigaclear. This will make Fastershire the first national
fibre broadband project to award SEP investment to any other bidder than BT.
A total of £5.46m for the SEP has
been provided by the Government’s Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) department and
matched by Gloucestershire County Council.
Matthew Hare, CEO of Gigaclear, said: “Residents and businesses in the Cotswolds
want great broadband. We are convinced that as in other rural areas that we
already serve, the demand for the pure fibre, ultrafast broadband service that
Gigaclear delivers will be substantial.
“What was refreshing about this
tender was the identification of the specific addresses of the 6,495 properties
that the contract sought to serve. This clarity gave us the confidence to offer
our Gigabit fibre broadband service to every single property in the tender.”
Mark Aveline, Chedworth Broadband
Champion said: “This is great news because for four long years rural Cotswolds
communities have been waiting for fast broadband. What Gigaclear will provide
is the best possible solution of fibre to the homes in the final 10 percent not
served by existing rollouts.
“The new service will be the envy
of all and provide a major boost for the rural community. Congratulations to
Fastershire for the innovative contract which encouraged lateral thinking among
suppliers and to Gigaclear for their financial investment and commitment to
what will surely be a showcase service.”