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The Worcestershire County Council (WCC) in England has today announced that Openreach have connected the first homes to their new full fibre (FTTP) broadband network as part of the £41m (public subsidy) Project Gigabit contract, which currently aims to cover 22,600 premises across the county’s hardest-to-reach (mostly remote rural) areas.
The first live connections under the contract, which was first announced back in January 2025 (here), are now serving properties in Lower Broadheath, Hallow, Powick and Callow End, while network build activity is also underway in and around Knightwick.
The latest data from the Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency indicates that Openreach has so far covered 170 premises under the contract (here), but this is now expected to ramp-up. Further work is also said to be “underway to explore opportunities to bring additional premises into the contract“.
Councillor Adam Kent, Deputy Leader of the WCC, said:
“This is a brilliant moment for Worcestershire. The first homes and businesses in Lower Broadheath, Hallow, Powick and Callow End are now plugged into some of the fastest broadband in the country – and the diggers are already moving on to the next communities.
Worcestershire is a county that means business, and this £41 million investment makes sure no village or rural enterprise is left behind. Whether you’re running a company from a converted barn, studying from home or streaming with the family, gigabit broadband puts world-class connectivity right on your doorstep. This is Worcestershire building the infrastructure of the future, today.”
Back in 2023 the WCC announced that they’d committed to help ensure that 90% of premises across the county will be able to access a gigabit-capable broadband ISP network by 2027 (here).