Project Gigabit delivery continues across Cumbria.  This £108m gigabit-capable broadband scheme will improve connectivity across our county through targeting up to 60,000 properties that are not expected to be reached through commercial deployment programmes. 

The properties included in this programme are currently being reviewed by Building Digital UK, an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with the expectation that additional properties in Cumbria will be released for deployment planning by Fibrus under the contract. Please note that we do not have a firm timescale for this process but we are hopeful that it will be completed by the end of this calendar year.

You can follow all the latest news and find out all the latest deployment information via the Hyperfast GB website where you are now able to check the status of your property using the ‘check availability’ tab. 

The Hyperfast GB website also provides information on:

• work experience opportunities for 16 – 18 year old students
• Employment opportunities for students once they have completed their full-time studies.
• Hyperfast GB’s build partner, Viberoptix offering apprenticeship places for people wanting to learn more about the industry.
• Hyperfast GB’s work with the Cumbria Community Foundation to offer grants to organisations which are seeking to tackle digital poverty.
• Hyperfast GB smaller grants fund to support community projects.

The Hyperfast GB network will use as much existing physical infrastructure as possible, sharing poles and ducting with Openreach.  However, where physical infrastructure is blocked or deployment continues further than the existing network they do have to build new infrastructure, specifically in deeply rural areas which don't have a very good telecoms network.  In some instances this means that road closures will be required to make sure everybody is safe while the new ducting is installed.  Readers are directed to the online resource One Network which can be used to view current and future closures.  It will also tell you which company the road closure is for.

Cumbria has attracted significant private investment in the past couple of years and there is a strong commercial programme of works by a number of providers to further enhance connectivity across our county. These programmes, are investing over £300m, and creating significant jobs, with these works expected to reach more than 200,000 properties; this will create opportunities for businesses to thrive and improve service delivery

Find out which companies are currently offering services in your area using the Ofcom broadband checker tool. We strongly recommend taking advantage of competition between networks and shopping around to find the package that suits you best.

Mobile Network Operators and Government are working together to transform mobile coverage countywide through the UK Government Shared Rural Network mobile programme, which is seeking to deliver 95% geographical 4G coverage in the UK from at least one Mobile Network Operator by 2025.  The Connecting Cumbria team are committed to supporting this piece of work.  Keep up with all the latest developments on this here.

You can find out more about current mobile connectivity in your area using the Ofcom mobile availability checker here.

Since our last newsletter the programme has completed a procurement process to appoint a technical support supplier.  This supplier will be working to a tight timescale to deliver innovative 5G solutions across five sites in the Borderlands area.  The announcement of the award of the technical services contract for this programme is imminently anticipated.

Representatives from each of the five local authorities in England and Scotland which make up the Borderlands Partnership (Cumberland Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Northumberland County Council, Scottish Borders Council and Westmorland and Furness Council) continue to develop the plan of works for these five initial sites:

• Destination Tweed
• Kielder Castle and Forest
• Stranraer Marina
• The Sill @ Hadrian’s Wall
• Windermere 5G Ferry

The announcement that Borderlands has been named as one of the ten 5G Innovation Regions by UK Government can be found here.

5G is a critical emerging technology which will create a range of opportunities for business, leisure, transport, service delivery and safety.  We are continuing to look at opportunities across Cumbria to support research and development to ensure that Cumbria is positioned to maximise benefits from this technology for our businesses, residents and visitors.

Readers are directed to the below information sources to find out more:

5G New Thinking – please click here.

Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator 5G – please click here.

The Lakes Free Range Egg Company is a family-owned business producing and packing free range and organic free range eggs. Based in the heart of Cumbria, ‘The Lakes’ is industry leading in its approach to animal welfare and environmental provenance.

We talked to David Brass who runs this successful business alongside his wife Helen about the importance of good online connectivity in supporting what they do.

Read the full story here.

Oopsie Daisy Flowers and Gifts offers flowers and gifts for every occasion.

With a daily delivery of fresh flowers, all their bouquets and arrangements are top quality and they also offer a selection of alternative gifts such as sweet treat baskets.

Kim Mills who runs her business from her home on Currock Park Avenue is an experienced florist who combines traditional floristry skills with contemporary style trends to create exactly what her customers want.

We talked to Kim about how her faster, fibre broadband service is supporting the business.

Find out more here.