Scotland’s First Project Gigabit
GoFibre has been announced as the chosen supplier to deliver full fibre broadband to around 11,000 hard-to-reach premises across the Scottish Borders and East Lothian.
GoFibre Awarded Scotland’s First Project Gigabit Contract
GoFibre has been announced as the chosen supplier to deliver full fibre broadband to around 11,000 hard-to-reach premises across the Scottish Borders and East Lothian.
The upgrades will benefit some of the most rural areas of Scotland and the UK, including Athelstaneford and Innerwick in East Lothian and St Abbs, Broughton and Ettrickbridge in the Scottish Borders.
As a contract funded by the UK government and managed by the Scottish Government, the news was announced in February by UK Minister for Telecomms and Data Chris Bryant and Scottish Government Minister for Business Richard Lochhead. Surveying work will begin immediately.
Welcoming the news, Neil Conaghan, GoFibre’s CEO said, “As a Scottish company, born in the Borders, GoFibre is proud to be named as the delivery partner for the first Project Gigabit contract in Scotland, bringing transformative full fibre connectivity to thousands more homes and businesses across the region. This contract award marks a step-change in our ambition and footprint as a major Scottish telecommunications company.
“We have a sterling track record of connecting communities across Scotland to our ultra-fast broadband network. Delivering this project will build on our successful delivery of Project Gigabit contracts in North Northumberland and Teesdale where we are delivering much-needed broadband in rural areas, ahead of schedule. We will bring all that expertise and GoFibre experience to this essential project for people in the Borders and East Lothian.”
Project Gigabit is the UK government’s programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband. The Scottish Government is playing a key role in delivering Project Gigabit procurements in Scotland, working closely with the UK government to deploy funding to build on Scotland’s own Reaching 100% programme and commercial activity.
The fast, reliable connections delivered by Project Gigabit will primarily benefit rural communities across the UK. The programme targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband companies’ commercial plans, reaching parts of the country that would otherwise miss out.
