Rural North Oxfordshire gets full fibre 4 months early
Key Points
- Gigaclear finished its North Oxfordshire Project Gigabit build four months early
- The £8.2 million contract brings full fibre to 3,880 rural premises
- Villages include Stratton Audley, Hanwell, Horley, Wendlebury and North Newington
- Gigaclear’s two Oxfordshire contracts total £23.1 million and cover around 9,300 premises
- Work continues on the South Oxfordshire contract
Gigaclear has finished an £8.2 million Project Gigabit build in North Oxfordshire four months ahead of schedule, connecting 3,880 rural premises.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Building Digital UK announced the completion on Tuesday (13 October), confirming homes and businesses across the area can now get full-fibre broadband.
The rollout covers rural villages including Stratton Audley, Hanwell, Horley, Wendlebury and North Newington, along with surrounding hamlets.
Project Gigabit targets communities that commercial providers would otherwise skip because of their remote and difficult-to-reach locations.
The government said the programme supports around 3,000 skilled jobs and apprenticeships in the UK’s digital infrastructure sector.
“Finishing this broadband upgrade four months early is great news for communities across rural North Oxfordshire, with thousands of homes and businesses now able to get fast, reliable connections thanks to government investment,” said Ian Murray, Telecoms Minister.
“That can make a real difference day to day – from working or running a business from home, to helping with homework or simply keeping in touch with family and friends,” Murray added.
“Completing our North Oxfordshire Project Gigabit build four months ahead of schedule is a fantastic achievement for the Gigaclear team,” said Nathan Rundle, CEO of Gigaclear.
“Thousands of homes and businesses can now access full fibre, bringing faster and more reliable connectivity to rural communities that have historically been underserved,” Rundle said.
The North Oxfordshire build is one of two Project Gigabit contracts Gigaclear holds in the county, worth a combined £23.1 million in government subsidy.
Together, the two contracts aim to bring gigabit-capable broadband to around 9,300 premises across North and South Oxfordshire.
Gigaclear is continuing work on its South Oxfordshire Project Gigabit contract. The government aims to reach nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.
