en.Wedoany.com Reported - Openreach has connected the first homes to its full-fibre broadband network (FTTP) as part of a £41 million publicly subsidised project with Worcestershire County Council (WCC) in England. The network is part of the UK's Project Gigabit contract, aiming to cover approximately 22,600 of the hardest-to-reach remote rural properties in the county.

This network contract was first announced in January 2025, and the initial live connections are now serving properties in Lower Broadheath, Hallow, Powick, and Callow End. Meanwhile, network construction activities have commenced in Knightwick and surrounding areas. According to the latest data from Building Digital UK (BDUK), Openreach has so far covered 170 properties under the contract and is expected to accelerate progress. It is understood that opportunities to include more properties in the contract are being explored.

Project Gigabit aims to help extend gigabit broadband (1000Mbps+) ISP network coverage to approximately 99% of UK properties nationwide by 2032, primarily focusing on the last 10-20% of hard-to-reach areas. Currently, around 90% of properties have access to such networks, with Ofcom predicting this could reach 95% by January 2029.

WCC Deputy Leader Councillor Adam Kent stated that the first homes and businesses in Lower Broadheath, Hallow, Powick, and Callow End are now connected to one of the fastest broadband networks in the country, with excavators already heading to the next community. He noted that this £41 million investment ensures no village or rural business is left behind, and gigabit broadband will provide world-class connectivity for scenarios such as running a company from a barn, studying at home, or streaming media for the family.

As early as 2023, WCC announced its commitment to help ensure that 90% of properties in the county would have access to gigabit-capable broadband ISP networks by 2027.

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