UK government unveils gigabit broadband upgrade tracker | Computer Weekly

As the steady pace of improvement continues in the UK’s national fixed broadband infrastructure, the UK government has launched an online address checker allowing businesses to see whether they are due to receive a gigabit broadband upgrade, especially giving rural communities clearer visibility over roll-out plans for faster connectivity.

The launch comes as the UK government aims to accelerate broadband roll-out in harder-to-reach areas, claiming more than 750 homes and businesses are now gaining access to gigabit-capable broadband each day through the Project Gigabit scheme.

The £5bn Project Gigabit programme was introduced in 2021 with the aim of accelerating the UK’s recovery from Covid-19, boosting high-growth sectors such as tech and the creative industries, and levelling up the country by spreading wealth and creating jobs through offering access to gigabit broadband across the UK.

At its launch, the previous UK government said the scheme would prioritise areas with slow connections that would otherwise be left behind in commercial broadband companies’ plans, as well as give rural communities access to the fastest internet on the market, helping to grow the economy.

Project Gigabit specifically targets places typically regarded as too expensive for commercial providers to reach in their build and which would otherwise be left with poor digital infrastructure. It was designed from the outset to help meet the growing demand for reliable connectivity, stimulating local rural economies and reducing regional disparities by enabling remote working and attracting new businesses.  

One of the first acts by the new Labour administration that was elected in July 2024 was to reconfirm the original objectives to build a broadband infrastructure that would see 85% of the UK have gigabit-capable connectivity by the end of 2025 and full nationwide coverage by 2030.

A month later, the UK government announced that it was investing up to £800m to modernise broadband infrastructure in rural areas of England, Scotland and Wales and hit the Project Gigabit in a deployment contract with leading UK broadband provider Openreach.

Explaining in May 2025 why it was ramping up the broadband access scheme, the UK government said hundreds of thousands of rural homes and businesses were still struggling to fulfil basic online tasks due to outdated infrastructure, making it necessary to obtain major internet speed upgrades and narrow the existing digital divide.

The upgrade plan is expected to drive productivity gains, support more than 620,000 people back into the workforce and enable more than one million to work from home, contributing an additional £19bn annually. Openreach noted in May 2025 that research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) shows that full-fibre broadband could deliver a £66bn boost to the UK economy by 2029.

The tracker service allows users to enter their postcode to see if their property is included in the Project Gigabit programme or in commercial fibre deployments. The government said improved connectivity will help rural communities access digital services, support remote working and boost local economic growth. Faster broadband is also expected to support sectors such as agriculture, tourism and small businesses in remote areas.

Commenting on the launch of the new service, Jennifer Holmes, CEO of the London Internet Exchange, said: “The continued roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband and improved mobile coverage is an important step in strengthening the UK’s digital infrastructure. As demand for online services continues to grow, the networks that underpin the internet must be resilient, efficient and capable of supporting increasing volumes of data.

“Strong infrastructure is essential not only for everyday connectivity, but also for supporting innovation, economic growth and the UK’s wider digital ambitions. Investment in faster and more reliable connectivity will help ensure that businesses, public services and communities can fully participate in an increasingly digital economy.”

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the UK’s  Digital Poverty Alliance, added: “The  roll-out … is a welcome step towards closing long-standing connectivity gaps across the UK. However, infrastructure alone will not solve digital poverty. Around 19 million people in the UK experience some form of digital exclusion, and government figures show that around 1.6 million people are still living entirely offline.

“We estimate around two million people lack connectivity due to affordability and gigabit broadband is frequently out of reach due to higher costs. While faster networks are important, they only make a difference if people can afford to use them.”