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• Work begins on 拢33 million plan to upgrade hard-to-reach areas across Derbyshire to lightning-fast broadband
• Part of Prime Minister鈥檚 pledge to grow the economy, rollout will benefit villages and hamlets in Eckington, Hulland Ward, Shirley and many other areas

Tens of thousands of people in rural Derbyshire will enjoy access to next generation gigabit broadband after a major contract was signed to upgrade the county鈥檚 network as part of Project Gigabit - the government鈥檚 拢5 billion mission to upgrade digital connectivity in hard-to-reach areas.

Over 17,000 homes and businesses across rural Derbyshire will be connected to the fastest broadband speeds on the market. The county has already benefited from a rapid rollout of modern connectivity infrastructure, with 70% of premises now having access to gigabit-capable broadband compared to just 4% in January 2019. The gigabit-capable network will enable households to download a high-definition film in under 1 minute, stream entertainment and shop online at the same time without battling over bandwidth. The high speed connectivity will also help boost online efficiency and productivity for businesses and pave the way for revolutionary new technologies and opportunities.

Backed by over 拢33 million in government investment, network operator Connect Fibre will be rolling out full fibre broadband to those currently struggling with slow speeds, in places such as Eckington, Hulland Ward and Shirley. Detailed planning in Derbyshire is set to get underway, with spades in the ground by mid next year, and the first premises expected to be connected in 2025.

Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure, Sir John Whittingdale, said:

Thousands of homes and businesses in rural Derbyshire, from Eckington to Hulland Ward are set to experience lightning-fast broadband - fit for the future.

Through our flagship Project Gigabit programme, we鈥檙e investing billions to make sure hard-to-reach communities like these get access to the transformative gigabit connectivity they deserve.

Local people will further benefit from Connect Fibre鈥檚 commitment to develop community initiatives in Derbyshire including free gigabit connections for community learning and library sites, as well as offering support for local businesses to ensure they鈥檙e maximising the transformative potential of high-speed connectivity.

Connect Fibre CEO, Stefan Stanislawski, said:

Connect Fibre is thrilled to be awarded the Project Gigabit contract to bring full fibre broadband to hard-to-reach parts of Derbyshire. We鈥檙e big believers in the transformative power of reliable broadband and are honoured to be delivering to homes and businesses that need it most.

Our commitment to connecting rural communities doesn鈥檛 stop at providing broadband, but extends into empowering homes and businesses with everything they need to thrive in today鈥檚 digital world. We are excited to get started on this journey and to see the life-changing impact it will have on Derbyshire residents.

Councillor Carolyn Renwick, Derbyshire County Council鈥檚 Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Environment, said:

It鈥檚 great news that more than 17,000 Derbyshire homes and businesses will benefit from this latest roll-out of next generation broadband through Project Gigabit.

Faster broadband improves everyone鈥檚 day-to-day living, enabling people to access health, education, banking and leisure services and more. It鈥檚 also critical for business operations, growth and increased productivity.

This 拢33m investment by Government will increase speed and reliability in the network for these communities which is critical to levelling up these hard-to-reach communities, particularly in rural areas of our county, where commercial funding alone is insufficient to secure the money necessary to make this build happen.

This news comes just weeks after Connect Fibre was awarded a 拢16.5 million Project Gigabit contract, to connect up to 6,000 rural homes and businesses in North East Staffordshire as the government鈥檚 Project Gigabit roll out gathers pace.

Notes to editors

• the latest Project Gigabit contracts come as that 929,700 premises in mostly hard-to-reach areas of the UK now have access to gigabit connectivity thanks to government investment. The government is working with broadband suppliers to achieve 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025, and then to nationwide coverage by 2030
• Project Gigabit is the government鈥檚 flagship 拢5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband
• premises set to be reached by these contracts are subject to change following detailed planning by the suppliers or due to technical reasons during the lifetime of the contract
• BDUK awarded supplier Connect Fibre a 拢33 million contract to provide over 17,000 premises in Derbyshire with access to gigabit-capable broadband
• further information about broadband connectivity in Derbyshire is available on the council-run