The work is taking place under the UK government’s Project Gigabit, with GoFibre having been awarded the £6.6 million contract last Autumn. It has spent the last six months planning and surveying, in collaboration with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), as well as Durham County Council.
Construction will go on until 2025, providing “gigabit-capable broadband” to Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, Gainford, West Auckland and elsewhere.
Discussing the roll-out, a spokesperson said: “Lightning-fast and fit for the future, gigabit-capable networks allow communities to upload and download data with none of the disruptions associated with ageing copper networks.
“More than 74 per cent of the UK can access gigabit connections, such as full fibre. But these are most common in urban areas, which is why the government is investing £5 billion to connect hard-to-reach places that might otherwise miss out.”
GoFibre chief executive officer, Neil Conaghan, said: “For years, rural towns across northern England, including Teesdale, have faced a persistent digital connectivity problem, which has left local communities frustrated and very much behind in terms of infrastructure upgrades.
“Through our partnership with the UK government and Durham County Council, construction efforts are now underway to help tackle this digital divide and isolation head on.”
Digital infrastructure minister, Julia Lopez, said:"Teesdale was one of the first contracts awarded as part of Project Gigabit. Now [the work has begun], thousands in the region are a big step closer to feeling the benefits of lightning-fast broadband."
