'Project Gigabit' to bring 'lightening-fast' broadband to the Vale of Belvoir
Broadband speeds in rural parts of Leicestershire are expected to reach ‘lightning-fast’ levels as part of a £5 billion government scheme to deliver better internet access.
Leicestershire County Council is set to receive over £1.5 million of funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of ‘Project Gigabit’, a programme which intends to bring fast and reliable broadband to ‘hard-to-reach areas’.
New hubs will be installed across the county, including locations in the Vale of Belvoir, to substantially increase broadband speeds.
Leicestershire county council has confirmed the locations in or near the vale as Harby C Of E Primary School, Long Clawson C Of E Primary School and Waltham On the Wolds C Of E Primary School.
The funding will see the building of more than 40 ‘GigaHubs’ built in schools, libraries, recycling centres and other buildings across rural parts of Leicestershire, which intend to deliver ‘high speed coverage for the county’.
The installation of these hubs will mean local residents will be able to switch to ‘gigabit broadband’, giving them access to WIFI speeds of up to 1,000mbps- the fastest connectivity rate currently available.
The installation of the Giga Hubs is set to be completed by 2024 and according to the council, the process may result in road works being implemented in parts of the county.
Whilst the broadband companies BT and OpenReach are contracted to install the hubs, the council has suggested that there will be a “host of service providers to choose from” once the hubs are ready, meaning that residents will not have to be a BT customer to use the fast broadband.
Councillor Pam Posnett, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for broadband, said: “The GigaHubs programme will really benefit our rural communities. Residents in rural areas will be able to benefit from greater broadband speeds, helping families, businesses and people working from home.
"We’ve already delivered superfast broadband to more than 75,000 premises, taking the total to 97 percent within the county, but championing GigaHubs means we can push on.”
Officials from the government have suggested that the reason why the new hubs are being installed is to “bring gigabit-capable connections to the heart of communities”, which will supposedly result in further investment in ‘hard-to-reach areas’ and will “connect surrounding homes and businesses.”
Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez, said: “Thanks to Project Gigabit, the biggest broadband roll out in British history, we’re bringing the huge productivity benefits of lightning-fast networks to schools, libraries and other sites across Leicestershire. Our funding will help vital public services deliver more for communities and attract further industry investment in better connectivity for the region.”
