Solving digital connectivity issues in rural areas of Yorkshire would unlock major economic benefits - Sean Royce

Take North Yorkshire, for example. According to the North Yorkshire Rural Commission, 85 per cent of the area is classed as “super sparse” or very rural.

How then do we ensure people in the most outlying communities enjoy the same levels of digital connectivity as those in towns and cities?

As a broadband provider dedicated to serving rural areas, we have invested in a market-leading hybrid network, using both full fibre and 5G wireless technology to provide rock-solid, reliable internet access without compromising on speed or quality.

Recently we have been awarded two contracts under the Government’s flagship Project Gigabit programme, designed to bring rural communities out of broadband poverty.

These contracts cover huge swathes of rural Yorkshire and represent more than £100m of Government investment to reach over 60,000 homes and businesses with fast, reliable, full fibre broadband.

We’re also funding fibre connections to a further 90,000 premises on a purely commercial basis, so the impact across Yorkshire and neighbouring areas is enormous.

We’re proud that the Government is trusting us to transform the online experience and provide life, work and social opportunities for people in many of Yorkshire’s most isolated places.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research has calculated that investing to deliver fast, reliable broadband to remote communities will generate up to £65bn of economic growth across the country. So the £5bn Project Gigabit programme is obviously money very well spent.

That investment could boost employment in these areas by almost seven per cent, creating more than 250,000 jobs.

The challenge lies in unlocking these massive economic benefits. That’s why Project Gigabit is so vital to the UK’s prosperity and particularly to places like Yorkshire which have so many deep rural communities.

Quite simply, it is logistically and financially challenging to connect some of the hardest-to-reach communities, including here in Yorkshire.

It can often cost many thousands of pounds to connect the most remote home or business to fibre broadband.

That’s a commitment most broadband providers are unwilling to make, opting instead to build networks in towns and cities where people already have choice of service.

At Quickline, we have a very different approach. We believe we’re unique as a regionally focused, rural broadband provider which exists to bring people in remote communities out of the internet dark ages.

As a company rooted in Yorkshire, our commitment to these communities also stretches far beyond the fibre cables we install.

Through our Q Futures programme, we’re investing £3m over the next three years in initiatives ranging from apprenticeships and training courses to community grant schemes and digital literacy programmes, all helping to sustain communities and create a rural workforce of the future.

We recognise that the sustainability of many deep rural communities is under threat, in part because of their lack of digital connectivity.

Outlying villages and hamlets don’t have shops, banks, libraries, or sometimes any form of physical community facility or service, including health and social care services. They are also isolated by infrequent or non-existent public transport.

The services people need are often available online, but rural communities require reliable and rapid access to connect with the outside world.

That’s why Project Gigabit exists and why the Government has set a target to provide 85 per cent of UK premises with gigabit-capable broadband by the end of 2025.

We fully support Project Gigabit. It enables broadband providers such as us to connect communities that would otherwise not be commercially viable to reach.

Rolling out our full fibre network into these communities really will change lives, but our commitment to bridging the broadband gap doesn’t stop there.

We also see our 5G wireless technology playing a vital part in serving those even harder to reach places.

I’m extremely proud to lead one of the UK’s fastest-growing broadband providers and of how we’re improving people’s lives in rural areas.

Sean Royce is CEO of East Yorkshire-based specialist rural broadband provider Quickline Communications.