Major broadband upgrade in Sussex to benefit 52,000 rural homes and businesses

Independent broadband provider Cityfibre will deliver top-of-the-range full fibre connections to around 52,000 rural premises in the county which, without government intervention, would have missed out on the industry’s rollout of faster, more reliable ‘gigabit-capable’ broadband.

Full fibre is capable of delivering speeds of up to 1,000 megabits (or one gigabit) per second - up to 30 times faster than superfast connections which rely on traditional copper cables.

Gigabit speeds mean households can download a high-definition film in under one minute, stream and download entertainment and shop online across several different devices at once.

The upgrades will help grow the economy and create jobs by making it easier to set up a business, and mean rural Sussex communities will have access to networks designed to meet people’s needs for decades to come as the demand for fast connections continues to rise.

Rural communities across the county will benefit, including those in or surrounding Arundel & South Downs, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Bexhill, Battle, Brighton, Kempton, Hastings, Rye, Lewes and Wealden.

Now the contract is signed, Cityfibre will begin detailed surveying work with spades expected to enter the ground from this summer.

The contract is one of several announced today (February 6) as part of a £453 million commitment to delivering next-generation broadband to around 236,000 hard-to-reach homes and businesses across England.

More than £1 billion in contracts have now been awarded through Project Gigabit to connect around 677,000 homes and businesses, with tens of millions of pounds worth of additional contracts to be awarded across the country in the coming weeks.

The UK is building gigabit networks faster than any country in the EU, thanks in part to government measures to stimulate competition and bust barriers to rollout.

Last month the government announced that gigabit coverage had reached 80 per cent of the UK, up from just six per cent in 2019, and the UK is on track to achieve 85 per cent by 2025.

As a result of this investment, CityFibre has committed to offer 40 apprenticeships - a minimum of eight per year - across the UK in telecoms and highways maintenance for the duration of the contract, giving young people the chance to develop vital new skills and build a rewarding career.

It comes as the country marks National Apprenticeship Week, a government-led campaign celebrating the impact apprentices make to communities, businesses, and the wider economy.

The rollout of Project Gigabit is overseen by Building Digital UK (BDUK) - an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Data and Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “This major government investment will mean rural Sussex will not miss out on the national upgrade to lightning-fast gigabit broadband.

“Better connectivity will not only end the headache of buffering broadband, it will create jobs, grow the economy and help make hard-to-reach communities a better place to live and work.”

CityFibre CEO Greg Mesch said: “We’re thrilled CityFibre has been selected to deliver government’s Project Gigabit programme in Sussex, bringing the benefits of full fibre connectivity to thousands of hard-to-reach homes and businesses that have so far been left behind.

“The rollout builds on our significant existing footprint in the region and thanks to Project Gigabit, we’ll be expanding our commercial build even further to include thousands more homes and businesses.”

Councillor Keith Glazier, Leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “The Government’s investment in East Sussex is a welcome next step, building on the significant digital infrastructure development already achieved in the county through our eSussex project, to meet our ambition of ensuring that our businesses and residents are able to access modern technology to support sustainable prosperity, economic growth, community well-being and countywide resilience.”

Councillor Steve Waight, West Sussex County Council said: “I welcome the conclusion of the procurement phase and that BDUK was able to secure a supplier to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to our hard-to-reach communities as part of its Project Gigabit Programme.

“This is a significant milestone in our long-term ambition to ensure widespread coverage of advanced digital technologies to homes and businesses.

“The County Council recognises that access to fast and reliable digital infrastructure is a fundamental part of everyday living for communities and businesses so that they can participate fully in a digital economy.”