Improving access to broadband and 5G (digital connectivity)

We are planning to release our Digital & Infrastructure Strategy later in 2024.

It is a placed-based strategy that will focus on how we can help the rollout of:

• broadband
• mobile
• other technology

To help residents and businesses across the county.

We will also investigate how we support the delivery of the appropriate connectivity to meet the needs of communities, with the aim of improving lives through digital inclusivity.

We will also explore how we can enable innovation and growth through the use of technology.

View the projects we are currently working on.

Project Gigabit is the government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.

Installation and coverage

Regions of the country are being grouped into lots.

Buckinghamshire have been allotted with Hertfordshire and East Berkshire in 'Lot 26'.

CityFibre successfully procured for the installation contract. This was awarded by the Government's digital organisation, Building Digital UK (BDUK).

They will use £58m from the government in addition to their own investment to install gigabit-capable broadband to over 35,000 premises.

Installation will start in summer 2024 and continue until the end of 2025.

View progress on CityFibre’s website (using the search function).

Eligible premises can apply for vouchers from the suppliers which can be used to provide broadband schemes to rural areas.

Voucher schemes are community-led and require residents and businesses in those communities to all apply for vouchers, and work collectively with the suppliers to provide the scheme.

View more on the Gigabit Voucher Scheme.

The strategic landscape for digital innovation has been changing rapidly in recent years.

Change was accelerated by the impact of the global pandemic and through a government focus on utilising technology and innovation to support economic growth.

The government's digital innovation goals include:

• the deployment of 5G
• closing the digital skills gap
• establishing new strategies (for example, the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy)
• fostering economic growth
• utilising digital technology to work towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

Many of these national goals were highlighted within the Buckinghamshire Local Industrial Strategy.

We now want to realise the potential of each project, and to accelerate investment in the local area. To do this, our Digital Innovation Plan focuses on these core themes:

• strengthening the innovation ecosystem
• how to address digital skills requirements and gaps
• improving innovation cluster development and collaboration
• leveraging existing infrastructure programmes
• oromoting Buckinghamshire as an area for testbeds and innovation
• securing and enabling funding for digital innovation
• maximising the use of relevant data and Intelligence

View the Buckinghamshire Digital innovation Plan

The Bucks Rural Business Broadband scheme aimed to bridge the digital divide by connecting rural businesses to gigabit capable broadband.

Funding was provided through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development with a £1.8 million grant.

This project connected 594 rural premises to Gigabit capable broadband, meaning the beneficiaries have access to the highest broadband speeds available and are future proofed for any newer technologies.

We are required to publish which premises were connected through the scheme. In total there were 31 additional premises were connected (Excel, 13.3 KB).

Since 2013, the proportion of premises in Buckinghamshire which could access superfast speeds has risen from 68% to 96.93% as of July 2021.

This progress was made largely through the successful commercial roll out of fibre broadband.

We joined the Connected Counties programme. With the help of the Local Growth Fund, the programme delivered over 52,000 superfast broadband connections in Buckinghamshire since 2013.

Connected Counties is run in partnership with:

• Bucks LEP
• Hertfordshire County Council
• Buckinghamshire Council
• Building Digital UK (BDUK)
• Openreach