East Yorkshire-based rural broadband provider Quickline has won a £120m contract

RURAL broadband provider Quickline has won a £120m contract to connect hard-to-reach premises in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, under the Government's £5bn Project Gigabit programme.

In total, 72,000 premises in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire will benefit from Quickline's fibre broadband network.

Areas in East Yorkshire covered under the rollout stretch from Holme upon Spalding Moor to Kilham, near Driffield, and Easington in Holderness.

The Lincolnshire rollout covers large areas of North and North East Lincolnshire, down to the Lincolnshire Fens, close to the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire borders.

As a result of the investment, East Yorkshire-based Quickline will also expand its commercial network in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to reach even more premises.

As well as the £120m contract covering parts of East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, Quickline has also been awarded a new £70m contract to provide fibre broadband to rural areas In North Yorkshire.

In total, Quickline has now been awarded four Project Gigabit contracts, spanning North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

It brings the total public investment in full fibre broadband delivered by Quickline to nearly £300 million.

Quickline CEO Sean Royce said: "The award of these contracts underlines our position as the primary Project Gigabit broadband provider in rural Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

"We are now the UK's second largest Project Gigabit regional delivery partner and the only provider to be awarded a contract serving England's largest county, Yorkshire, under the programme.

"We are a regionally focused provider, and through our work as part of the Project Gigabit programme and beyond, we're laser focused on delivering on our mission to connect rural communities to a world of possibilities."

Project Gigabit is a government-funded programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast, gigabit-capable broadband.

It targets homes and businesses that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds, due to their rural location.

Gigabit-capable broadband delivers faster speeds and fewer dropouts. Unlike traditional copper-based networks, gigabit connections won't slow down at peak times, meaning no more battling for bandwidth with the neighbours.

Work is already underway with communities near North Kelsey in the West Lindsey area of Lincolnshire among the first set to benefit from the availability of Quickline's full fibre network.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Chris Bryant said: "Accelerating the rollout of fast broadband and modernising the country's digital infrastructure is crucial to kickstarting an era of sustained economic growth in every part of the UK.

"Our £190m investment in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire will heal the headache of endless buffering felt by too many in rural communities, while building the infrastructure needed to attract new investment and ensure the benefits of digital technology reverberate across every corner of the country."

The awarding of the two new contracts will also see Quickline broaden its commitment to skills, training and community support under its extensive social values programme.

As part of Project Gigabit, Quickline has committed to create more than 200 apprenticeships in the areas covered by the contracts through collaboration with build partners, as well as delivering over 2,500 accredited training courses and online work experience for 1,400 students.

Cllr David Tucker, Deputy Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "The East Riding of Yorkshire is currently in a strong position with 86 per cent gigabit-capable broadband coverage.

"This has been achieved through both public and commercial investment. However, there are still residents and businesses for whom a reliable, fast broadband connection is a challenge, especially in rural areas.

"This contract award demonstrates a significant investment in our region, providing over 20,000 rural premises with gigabit-capable broadband, with the potential to increase our gigabit coverage to over 95 per cent."

Cllr Richard Davies, Executive Member for IT at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "It is great news that we have a successful bidder in Quickline for Project Gigabit.

"With this latest round of bidding now secured, it will mean that the vast majority of rural premises not currently upgraded to gigabit connectivity will soon be able to get a high-speed connection.

"This is a valuable part of our continuing improvement for high-speed broadband connection for Lincolnshire and will be an equally valuable asset for residents and businesses alike."

• To find out more about Quickline and its mission to connect rural communities to a world of possibilities, go to: quickline.co.uk/about-us.

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