Colchester to recieve £3 million broadband boost

Charlotte Whyatt • 15 Feb 2019

The government's full fibre network fund will bankroll the project.

A new £3 million government investment will see ultrafast broadband become available to a larger selection of homes and businesses in Colchester.

Speeds of up to 1Gbps will soon be available across all of the town centre, the North Gateway, parts of Greenstead, Hythe and Severalls Industrial Park. 

The funds are set to come from the government’s Local Full Fibre Network fund, a scheme which was set-up last year to assist with increasing access to lightning-fast broadband speeds across the UK. 

Colchester Amphora Trading, the council’s commercial trading company, oversaw the successful bid.

The city will be the first authority to benefit from the project in East Anglia. 

Work is due to start in April but there’s yet no estimated completion date. A handful of businesses in Colchester town centre are already able to access these kinds of speeds due to a previous ultrafast expansion in 2016. 

“We’re building a Britain that’s fit for the future, and our plans for a national full fibre broadband network underpin our modern industrial strategy,” said Margot James, Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. 

“This £3.45 million boost for gigabit speeds in Colchester will build on the tremendous work already being done by Colchester Council and I congratulate them on what they have already achieved.”

Independent estimates state that this investment could boost Colchester’s economy by 6%, around £230 million.  

Source: The Daily Gazette