People in need of faster broadband can now find out in a few taps if they are due for a government-funded upgrade, thanks to an online address checker launched.
The new GOV.UK service allows people in England and Wales to enter their postcode to instantly see if their home or business is covered by existing rollout plans, whether through the government’s Project Gigabit rollout targeting hard-to-reach areas or the telecoms industry’s own commercial plans.
This will empower rural communities to more easily see how the government’s multi-billion-pound investment in gigabit rollout could benefit them, News Cover reports, citing the UK government's official website.
It comes as Project Gigabit drives a surge of spades in the ground to deliver lightning-fast full fibre to neighbourhoods across the British countryside. The UK government is now delivering broadband upgrades at its fastest rate since Project Gigabit started in 2021, with over 750 homes and businesses gaining access to a gigabit-capable connection every day as a direct result of its investment.* Over a million more premises are due to receive upgrades through live Project Gigabit contracts, and even more are expected to fall into scope in the months ahead.
Through a landmark deal struck with Openreach worth up to £1.2 billion, engineers are now bringing full fibre broadband upgrades to properties in more than 100 rural towns and villages across England and Wales. Meanwhile, hundreds more are now receiving government-backed upgrades from the many other broadband providers working on Project Gigabit.
As the government continues its mission to achieve 99% gigabit coverage by 2032, the online address checker makes it much simpler and quicker for people struggling with slow connections to find out if upgrades are available in their area or what plans are in place to deliver these in the future.
Gigabit-capable broadband delivers faster, more reliable internet that can handle multiple users downloading, streaming or online gaming at the same time. The rollout will ensure households and businesses can stay connected now and in the future, with fewer outages and less competition for bandwidth.
