Project Gigabit Delivery in Nottinghamshire
Project Gigabit is the government’s flagship £5 billion programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to rural communities that will not be reached by commercial investment. It is this programme of work which will support the UK government policy of at least 85% of premises being able to access gigabit-capable broadband service by the close of 2025, with the expectation of nationwide (99%) by 2030. Full details of the programme including quarterly updates on the programme is available here: Project Gigabit [GOV.UK].
For the purposes of the delivery of the project’s full-fibre networks, the country is split into regional contracts which are bid for by network builders. These contracts are awarded and managed by Building Digital UK (DBUK), an executive agency within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
The role of Nottinghamshire County Council in the project is facilitate delivery by supporting BDUK Local Delivery Leads to overcome any local barriers to delivery which could include issues such as street works permits and wayleaves. Local authority planning consent is not normally required for infrastructure building.
Project Gigabit Locally
The ‘Lot 10’ contract will provide connectivity across Nottinghamshire and part of West Lincolnshire. It is expected that £58 million of investment will deliver full-fibre connectivity to around 34,300 premises in this area. Premises are deemed eligible via BDUK’s National Rolling Open Market Review mechanism to assess the current service available as well as reviewing the commercial plans of broadband network builders over the next three years.
Project News
Contract Awarded – February 2024
The contract for Lot 10 delivery was awarded to Connexin in February 2024 and the early stages of the preparation work was begun, working through the process of analysing the high-level design for delivery, test rod and rope, clearing ducting, installing sub-ducting.
Provider Change – March 2025
We acknowledge the recent announcement concerning the transfer of ‘Project Gigabit’ Lot 10 network building responsibilities from Connexin to a new provider, CityFibre.
We are actively seeking clarification from BDUK to ensure that the originally proposed delivery timescales can still be met under the new delivery partner, and that any disruption or delay to the roll-out is minimised. These rural premises have waited a considerable time for full-fibre connectivity, and we see it as vital that the momentum is maintained during this transition period.
We welcome interventions such as Lot 10 that focus on delivering gigabit-capable infrastructure to our communities and note that City Fibre has already successfully built fibre networks within Nottinghamshire.
We look forward to the benefits that full-fibre will bring to residents and businesses in these areas, and to celebrating the first newly connected premises under CityFibre's leadership in the coming months.
