MORE than 4,000 rural premises in Teesdale will gain access to faster and more reliable broadband after Borderlink, trading as GoFibre, was awarded a multi-million contract under the government’s Project Gigabit scheme.

GoFibre will work with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Durham County Council to enable thousands of hard-to-reach homes and businesses to access gigabit-capable broadband thanks to £6.6m of DCMS investment.

The project will cover towns, villages and hamlets across the region including premises near Barnard Castle and Bishop Auckland, subject to further survey completion.

Gigabit-capable networks are lightning-fast and allow people to upload and download data with none of the disruptions associated with ageing copper networks. More than 70 per cent of the UK can access gigabit connections – such as full fibre – but these are mostly in urban areas.

The contract with GoFibre’s parent company Borderlink has been signed and planning is now underway, with construction due to begin in Spring 2023.

Chris Jagusz, chairman of GoFibre, said: “Closing the digital divide and helping local communities to thrive by providing previously unimaginable levels of capability through high-quality broadband services is at the heart of everything we do. Through our latest appointment, we will work as a trusted partner, equipping Teesdale with world-class connectivity built for the future.” Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez added: “Families and businesses across rural Teesdale can soon say goodbye to buffering broadband and hello to lightning-fast speeds thanks to the government leading the biggest broadband roll out in British history.

“I’m delighted Teesdale will be one of the first places to benefit from the dozens of multi-million pound contracts we will be signing over the coming weeks and months.”

GoFibre is a Scottish independent broadband provider.

Cllr Susan McDonnell, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for digital, customer services and procurement, said: “We look forward to working on this exciting development, which will benefit thousands of our residents and businesses in rural areas.”

Households and businesses can register their interest in GoFibre’s full fibre broadband services by visiting www.gofibre.co.uk/register.and services by visiting www.gofibre.co.uk/register.