Remote spots in the UK look set for a boost in broadband speeds and coverage, thanks to new government funding – and the possibility of a new satellite broadband service from Amazon.
As part of the government’s Project Gigabit, four new contracts, together worth more than £289 million ($362 million), have been signed with Openreach.
The areas covered include North and Southwest Wales, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Devon, Somerset, Essex, North East England and Worcestershire.
“We are determined to deliver the infrastructure this country needs to thrive, and I am thrilled to see so many homes and businesses in all areas of the country getting access to the fastest broadband speeds on the market through Project Gigabit,” said technology secretary Peter Kyle.
“We are determined to deliver the infrastructure this country needs to thrive, and I am thrilled to see so many homes and businesses in all areas of the country getting access to the fastest broadband speeds on the market through Project Gigabit”
The new deal expands on an agreement signed with Openreach last summer to make £800 million ($1 billion) of funding available to modernize broadband infrastructure in rural areas of England, Scotland, and Wales.
According to the government, over 85% of the country can now access gigabit connections, with the aim of hitting 100% by 2030.
Dozens of Project Gigabit contracts representing more than £2.2 billion ($2.76 billion) investment have now been signed with over 10 different suppliers to deliver the upgrades, including many smaller, independent broadband providers.
“Our new Full Fibre broadband network now reaches more than half of all properties in the UK, and we’re confident we can reach as many as 30 million premises by the end of the decade, assuming the right regulatory and investment conditions exist,” said Clive Selley, CEO at Openreach.
“This is a British infrastructure success story which experts say will boost productivity by £73 billion ($91.5 billion) and bring a raft of social and environmental benefits for the country.”
Meanwhile, remote areas may be getting another option, with documents filed with regulator Ofcom indicating that Amazon is planning to launch a satellite broadband service in the UK.
Similar to Elon Musk’s Starlink service, Project Kuiper has been in the pipeline for a while, involving the launch of 3,000 small satellites. Unlike Starlink, though, Project Kuiper isn’t restricted to users with access terminals. According to the Ofcom filing, it would allow direct-to-device services, connecting phones directly to satellites.
“As innovative technologies continue to emerge, additional spectrum bands will provide critical capacity for Internet of Things and enterprise applications in industries as diverse as agriculture, medicine, finance, retail, and transportation,” Amazon’s filing with Ofcom reads.
“These services will be available globally, including in the UK, with customers ranging from individual consumers, business, and various branches of the UK government.”
Project Kuiper is behind schedule. While the first satellites were originally set for launch by the end of last year, this is now expected to happen in the next few months.