30,000 more homes and businesses in Cumbria’s hard-to-reach communities now have access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
Full fibre broadband provider Fibrus has now delivered connectivity to over half its targeted number of homes and businesses across Cumbria – demonstrating the efficiency and strength of its rollout programme under Project Gigabit, despite the unique rollout challenges the county presents.
It means Fibrus is ahead of schedule to reach over 53,000 homes and businesses across the country it plans to connect as part of the Government-funded initiative.
Project Gigabit is the government-funded programme to enable remote communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband.
As part of a £150 million connectivity boost, Fibrus is rolling out next-generation broadband services to homes and businesses that might have otherwise missed out on gigabit upgrades across Cumbria.
Fibrus was awarded the contract in November 2022, which initially covered 32,000 homes and businesses before being extended to 53,540.
Rolling out network infrastructure has been spearheaded by Fibrus’ delivery partner, Viberoptix.
The region’s rugged terrain, protected heritage sites, and tourism-related restrictions make it one of the most challenging environments for broadband deployment, making this milestone all the more significant.
Among those is agricultural contractor Matthew Walton, from Southwaite, near Carlisle, who says the upgrade has made a significant difference to his business operations.
The 35-year-old had struggled with his business admin due to unreliable broadband performance.
Before they had full fibre broadband their connection speeds were insufficient to cope with both business and domestic demands regardless of which provider they used.
But that was transformed when he became a Fibrus customer last year and his speeds leapt from 10mb to around 380mb.
Matthew said: “It’s massively helped with the paperwork side of the business. When I am filling in my VAT returns I need to download copies of phone bills, things like that.
“Before we joined Fibrus it was difficult and downloads would fail. I used to think it was the websites that were the problem, but now I know it was our connection.
“If we were doing paperwork, you couldn’t use the laptop and the phone at the same time, or the telly would stall because one of us was on the phone.
“Now everything is quick and easy. I can’t fault the full fibre broadband, it’s night and day different.”
Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd, said: “Good connectivity is essential for people to get on with their lives – whether that’s running a business, working from home, or staying in touch with loved ones. That’s why we are forging ahead with Project Gigabit, investing in upgrades to give even the hardest-to-reach communities in Cumbria access to fast, reliable broadband.
“The milestone is proof that progress is being made, even ahead of schedule. This is a government which is determined to give communities the connectivity they need to thrive in modern life.”
Jenny Lennon, managing director of Hyperfast Networks, said: “Rolling out full fibre broadband across Cumbria has been one of the most challenging programmes we’ve delivered, so reaching this milestone under Project Gigabit as quickly as we have done is a significant achievement and demonstrates the scale of progress being made.
“This investment is already transforming digital infrastructure, bringing reliable full fibre connectivity to communities that were previously left behind.
“With half of the project completed, we’re now focused on the next milestone and remain fully committed to delivering 99.9% full fibre broadband coverage across Cumbria – opening up new opportunities for business growth, supporting families to stay connected, and helping communities thrive in an increasingly digital world.”
