An estimated 1 million premises now have gigabit-capable coverage as a result of the Project Gigabit scheme and other programmes run by government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK).
According to BDUK’s annual performance report, it estimates that its interventions delivered 143,900 premises with gigabit-capable coverage between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024.
Of the premises covered, 92 per cent were rural.
Forty three per cent previously received speeds below 30 Mbps.
And 8 per cent were delivered under BDUK’s new Gigabit contracts.
BDUK covered 17,300 fewer premises between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 compared to the previous year due to the wind down of delivery under its Superfast Broadband Programme.
Project Gigabit aims to help extend broadband ISP networks capable of delivering download speeds of at least 1000 Mbps and uploads of at least 200 Mbps to nationwide levels of UK coverage (around 99 per cent) by 2030. The project has already committed around £3 billion of its budget and covered more than 85 per cent of premises, but there are still some big contracts yet to be awarded, and the delivery phase will take several years to fully complete.