9,500 homes and businesses in Essex are set to receive faster, more reliable internet thanks to Project Gigabit.

Following upgrades in rural Essex - where 500 upgrades have already been completed and over 10,000 premises are set to benefit - this is the first Project Gigabit contract to target pockets of poor connectivity in towns and cities as well as the countryside.

Areas including Brentwood, Chelmsford, Basildon, Clacton and Ardleigh are set to benefit.

Backed by an extra £8.3 million in government funding, Openreach is extending its broadband rollout to more homes and businesses in Essex – connecting communities that would have otherwise missed out in earlier commercial plans. 

UK Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd said: “Project Gigabit is bringing better internet to more blackspots across the UK, thanks to government backing. This is the very first contract that’s focusing on urban areas, not just the countryside.  

“Pockets of our towns and cities are still left disconnected. To reach our 99% coverage target, it is vital no urban neighbourhood slips through the net.

“We’ve already got the ball rolling to connect areas of Essex missing out, and now we’re extending our efforts so that even more residents can access the digital opportunities they deserve.”  

Kieran Wines, Openreach Partnership Director for London and the South East, said: “As well as reaching rural communities, it’s vital we keep strengthening connectivity in towns and cities. This Project Gigabit contract helps us extend full fibre broadband into more urban neighbourhoods across Essex, adding to the almost 575,000 homes and businesses across the county that we’ve already reached through our own rollout.”