Project Gigabit Continues to Bring More Premises Online in Rural Wales
Previously, we reported that Carmarthenshire celebrated a 60% gigabit connectivity milestone, thanks to a government scheme to bring the internet to rural areas. Project Gigabit isn’t done with Wales, however, as multiple expansions into Welsh communities are still planned for 2025.
The Welsh Digital Divide
For years now, there has been an ongoing national conversation about digital divides between urban and rural communities. This is where large swathes of the country, especially regions in Wales and Scotland, need to catch up with modern internet infrastructure found in the cities. That’s where Project Gigabit comes in, to fund upgrades in hard-to-reach rural communities.
The government is promoting internet access because so many services operate online, including the government itself. Citizens use the internet to stay informed, stay in touch with others and find entertainment like video streaming or playing games online. Today, some companies have no presence in the real world and operate online instead, best seen with iGaming sites where visitors can play slingo games for real money. These sites present users with a library of themed slots and bingo games to choose from, accessible so long as they have basic internet access. However, it’s uncertain how digital services will advance in the future. That’s why the government and the private sector want to equalise internet quality across Britain, to future-proof internet access for the next generations.
Project Gigabit’s Next Expansions
In the spring of 2024, 39 projects were approved in Wales as part of the Gigabit Voucher scheme, covering 15,500 premises in total. This scheme is how the government allocates funds to local businesses and also some individuals, to subsidise their high-speed broadband.
Project Gigabit also uses Building Digital UK (BDUK) to ink deals with Openreach and local network providers, to put the necessary infrastructure in place. Since the spring, a new high-profile collaboration between BDUK and Openreach has been announced. This time, they’re bringing quality internet access to large swathes of Mid and West Wales.
Photo by Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash
The Llyn Peninsula Expansion
First announced in a summer press release, Openreach is taking on an additional £170 million contract from the government to reinforce rural internet connectivity “from the South Wales Valleys to the Llyn Peninsula.” The move is expected to improve the internet in 70,000 homes and places of business, most found in rural communities. While there have been local efforts to improve internet quality, this summer deal marked the first Welsh contract given under Project Gigabit.
Growing Mid Wales
Inside this holistic plan to cover the Welsh fringes, two local authorities have teamed up to better advocate for their much-needed digital upgrade. That’s Growing Mid Wales, a partnership that works closely with BDUK and Openreach to tackle some of Wales’ most rural regions, including the Brecon Beacons. Under the current plans, the first homes are expected to go online in 2025.
For Wales, Project Gigabit is still in its early stages. Counties like Pembrokeshire, Gwynedd and the Isle of Anglesey haven’t received official support yet. As the government aims to get the whole country covered by 2030, we can expect more updates in the future.
—
Header Photo by Michael Hamments on Unsplash