The UK Government has announced approximately £10 million in funding for six test projects that will see the installation of fiber to the home (FTTH) infrastructures capable of supporting gigabit broadband. The projects are part of a £200 million plan to expand broadband access to UK businesses, schools and hospitals.
The FTTH initiatives will target Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, West Sussex, Coventry and Warwickshire, Bristol and Bath and North East Somerset, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
"For our economy to thrive, it is vital we make smart investments to ensure our digital infrastructure is world class and fit for the future," said Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Jones, MP. "Full fiber connections are the gold standard and we are proud to announce today the next step to get Britain better connected."
The Government set aside the £200 million in its Spring Budget as part of a four-year program to stimulate the broadband infrastructure market and encourage use of all-fiber networks. Related initiatives include the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund (see "UK Government's Autumn Statement targets new FTTP connections") as well as legislation to enable business rate relief for new fiber deployments. The Government says it will spend the remaining £190 million by 2020-2021.
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