The ultrafast, pure fibre service from Gigaclear will be available as an alternative option to existing services and will mean that those living in some of the most rural areas of Hertfordshire will have pure fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections with upload and download speeds of up to 1Gbps (1000Mbps).
Matthew Hare, Chief Executive of Gigaclear, said: “We fully support the Connected Counties rollout, and BDUK plans to connect 95 per cent of the UK to superfast broadband by the end of 2017, but the rollout of this scheme won’t reach everyone. By making a commercial investment in the region, Gigaclear will be able to turn some of the most difficult to reach communities in Hertfordshire into the best-connected broadband areas in the world.”
Gigaclear plans to invest in the order of £4 million to connect the initial 4,000 properties across the county, transforming the online experience for all those living in the area. The Gigaclear commercial rollout will then likely extend firstly to the surrounding areas of Much Hadham, High Wych, Eastwick, Allen’s Green, Perry Green, Green Tye, Widford and Gilston Park. This is providing there is demand from residents and businesses registering their interest via the Gigaclear website.
The broadband service provided by Gigaclear will not only help give superfast broadband coverage to 98 per cent of Hertfordshire by June 2018, above BDUK’s target of 95 per cent for the whole of the UK, but those served by Gigaclear will experience speeds up to 40 times faster than the national average.
Mark Prisk, MP for Hertford and Stortford, said “I welcome the announcement from Gigaclear of an alternative for people in East Herts who can't get broadband through the Connected Counties programme. It's so important that people in more remote areas aren't left behind in this digital age."