Colchester Borough Council announces £3.45m ultrafast broadband investment

The Colchester Borough Council has unveiled a public investment boost from the UK Government’s Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) fund of £3.45m to expand the existing ultrafast broadband network in the area.

In Central Colchester, nearly 1,000 businesses have access to ultrafast broadband capable of 1Gbps speeds. With the investment boost, the network is ready for a major extension into other parts of the borough.

The expansion is expected to cover the whole of central Colchester, the Northern Gateway and also provide connections to Greenstead, Severalls Business Park and the Hythe. Where possible, the funding will further be used for rural areas.

Councillor Nick Barlow said: “It is fantastic news that Colchester has been awarded this huge sum to support our plans to deliver ultrafast broadband across the borough, particularly as the digital, creative and online sectors are some of the most important drivers of innovation and growth for Colchester’s economy. Future-proofing and investment in our infrastructure is key.”

Colchester Amphora Trading handled the funding bid and will also The network build is expected to commence in April of this year, with pre-works already underway.

Margot James MP, UK Minister for Digital (DCMS), said: “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.

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

The council anticipates that the expansion of the network will increase further investment for the borough and attract data-centric and creative businesses.

Presently, Virgin Media appears to be the only provider to be able to offer ultrafast broadband to premises in Colchester, with a little Fibre-to-the-Premises contribution available from Openreach (BT).