On 8 August 2020, the Government reached a gigabit broadband rollout milestone, with half a million premises now having access to gigabit connectivity as a result of government investment.
As part of a £1 billion Government funding commitment until the end of 2021, almost 500,000 premises across the UK have been connected to gigabit-capable broadband. A further £5 billion for the hardest to reach areas will be earmarked soon.
As a result, it means that alongside commercial investment, more than 7.5 million premises can now access gigabit capable broadband, compared to around 1.4 million premises two years ago.
The Government are urging people to take advantage of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. The scheme is open until March next year and is being targeted at rural, hard-to-reach areas.
The Government are also launching a new taskforce, led by consumer and business groups including Which?, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to drive consumer take-up of gigabit speed internet connections.
More information can be found here.