BUSINESSES in rural villages across Buckinghamshire will be able to get access to faster internet.

Buckinghamshire Council has officially announced the completion of the Bucks Rural Business Broadband (BRBB) project, in partnership with Openreach and Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Funded by a £1.8 million grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and managed by DEFRA, the initiative aims to provide ultrafast gigabit fibre connections to rural businesses in 38 towns and villages throughout the region.

Openreach began installations last June and completed the project earlier this year, connecting 723 rural businesses, including those in Prestwood, Iver, and Quainton.

The BRBB project aims to bridge the digital divide by delivering gigabit capable broadband to rural businesses in Buckinghamshire, providing speeds up to 10 times faster than average superfast broadband.

The take-up percentage for the service currently stands at 15%, but with some connections only recently completed, the council anticipates a significant increase in uptake over time.

Buckinghamshire Council’s Leader, Martin Tett, states that the completed project demonstrates the council’s commitment to supporting rural businesses and ensuring they have access to the latest digital infrastructure.

In addition to benefitting rural businesses, the council secured an innovative contract with Openreach, allowing some residential properties to benefit from the programme as well.

Kieran Wines, Openreach’s regional director for the South East, added that the achievement was made possible through the partnership between Openreach and Buckinghamshire Council to overcome the significant challenges of deploying advanced fibre networks in rural areas.

Rural businesses interested in taking advantage of the new ultrafast broadband service should visit the council’s website for more information.

Mr Wines reminded people that upgrades don’t happen automatically.

People need to contact their broadband provider to place orders to take advantage of the new technology, and they can check whether ultrafast Fibre is available in their area by entering their address into the Openreach fibre checker.