Project Gigabit – North Wiltshire Lot 30 type C connectivity solution

The below is reported by Wiltshire Council:

Building Digital UK (BDUK) has appointed telecoms provider Openreach to build next generation gigabit capable infrastructure in Central and North Wiltshire. This follows the award of a contract to Wessex Internet covering South Wiltshire last year.

The Openreach contract will target places that are too expensive for providers to reach in their commercial build, and which would otherwise be left behind without access to next generation broadband connectivity.

Wiltshire Council has welcomed this appointment and looks forward to developing a working relationship with Openreach and supporting them to achieve a successful rollout of this scheme.

Openreach anticipate connecting 9,000 premises over the next five years. This means residents and businesses will have access to lightning-fast gigabit capable broadband to help grow the local economy, accelerate innovation and improve people’s lives.

Detailed delivery plans are being developed so we can measure the pace of delivery against Openreach’s targets. This announcement moves the project into the early enablement phases, and further briefings will be provided as more information becomes available.

Further connectivity has been widely anticipated by residents, businesses and people in North Wiltshire who were not otherwise connected through the Project Superfast programme, which ended in 2022. Wiltshire Council is hopeful for further flexibility through the BDUK Gigabit Voucher Scheme (GBVS).

This scheme can provide vouchers worth up to £4,500 for homes and businesses in the hardest to reach rural areas to support the cost of installing new gigabit capable connections to their doorstep when part of a group. Further briefings will detail when/if BDUK release vouchers for areas needing additional support to achieve connectivity. Currently the voucher scheme is paused in Wiltshire and many other parts of the UK, although this can change.