Rural communities across Buckinghamshire will benefit from speedy full fibre broadband under the government’s national Project Gigabit rollout. 

The Government has inked contracts worth over £1 billion in an endeavour to route gigabit-broadband to thousands of homes in Beaconsfield, Chesham, Amersham and Wycombe.

Under the Project Gigabit scheme, six new contracts amounting to over £450 million have been signed on February 6, enabling suppliers to commence immediate groundwork for connecting approximately 236,000 premises across England with the first connections expected by early 2025.

Broadband provider CityFibre has won five of the recent contracts.

Leader of Buckinghamshire Council Martin Tett said: "We are delighted that our region has been awarded this substantial investment.

"This will really make a difference to Buckinghamshire households and will provide some of our most rural communities with the digital connectivity they need and currently can’t access.

"This is great news for residents and businesses alike and we look forward to seeing the programme move forward now the funding is confirmed."

Data and Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez, said: "We’re wasting no time in our mission to bring lightning-fast broadband to rural areas - with a billion pounds in contracts already signed with broadband companies to get our next-generation network up and running."

Greg Mesch, Chief Executive Officer at CityFibre, said: "We’re thrilled to be a key delivery partner for the government on this critical infrastructure project, transforming the digital capabilities of rural homes and businesses across the country."

Minister Lopez also reiterated how Project Gigabit is stimulating growth and job creation besides addressing the issue of slow internet speeds.

There is also an accelerated effort to ensure that more people are benefitted by the broadband rollout rapidly.

The full fibre is proficient in delivering speeds of up to 1,000 megabits (or one gigabit) per second - up to 30 times quicker than earlier connections which relied on traditional copper cables.

This development is likely to boost the economy, allow businesses to be set up with ease, and cater to people's needs for decades by offering access to networks in rural areas designed to handle the rising demand for fast connections.

Specifically, from the latest contracts, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Berkshire are set to receive £58.769 million, covering 34,273 premises.

The government states that gigabit coverage had extended to 80 per cent of the UK, up from just 6 per cent in 2019, and is on track to achieve 85 per cent by 2025.