Project Gigabit
A UK broadband infrastructure initiative that aims to utilise public funding to deliver nationwide gigabit capable broadband.
| Current Status | Active |
|---|---|
| Key Contact |
|
| Category | Digital Infrastructure |
Project Description
Project Gigabit is a UK broadband infrastructure initiative that aims to utilise public funding to deliver nationwide gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible.
The UK Government’s ambition is to deliver nationwide gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible. The UK Government has committed £5 billion for the hardest to reach parts of the country, ensuring that all areas of the UK can benefit. This will be spent through a package of coordinated and mutually supportive interventions, collectively known as Project Gigabit. The Department for the Economy recognises that there is a need for government intervention in the parts of Northern Ireland that are not commercially viable.
As part of this, DfE, along with Building Digital UK (BDUK), is developing a procurement approach to incentivise the telecoms market to invest in delivering gigabit-capable wholesale infrastructure in areas not considered to be commercially viable for new infrastructure. This procurement approach will be a successor to the much-needed Superfast broadband programme and DfE’s broadband intervention scheme, Project Stratum. The UK Government is allocating all capital funding required for delivery of Project Gigabit NI.
Project Status
DfE has carried out an Open Market Review (OMR) – Request for Information (RFI) to establish existing and planned coverage of broadband services within Northern Ireland over the next three years. This was followed by a public review to validate the results of the OMR. A public review outcome report was published in February 2024.
DfE has been developing a procurement approach for Project Gigabit, and, based on information made available through National Rolling OMRs carried out by Building Digital UK, is preparing to launch a procurement for an initial scope of approximately 11,000 premises.
As a result of current publicly subsidised broadband interventions, along with commercial investment in broadband connectivity, Northern Ireland is on course to become fully gigabit-capable within the next 3-4 years.
SIB Involvement
Up until the launch of the procurement, Project Gigabit NI was led by an SIB-appointed Project Director; SIB is also providing Legal Counsel for the project.
