27 August 2015

Cockleford village will be the first to benefit from Fastershire’s phase 2 broadband rollout in the Cotswolds. The network will include the communities of Seven Springs, Coberley, Upper Coberley, Cowley, Stockwell, Elkstone and Colesbourne.

As part of the Fastershire phase 2 contract it won in June, Abingdon-based rural broadband specialist Gigaclear says it will provide ultrafast pure fibre to around 6,500 homes and businesses across the Cotswolds by the end of 2017.

The company’s CEO Matthew Hare said: “This will give homes and businesses in the area a world-leading internet connection with speeds up to 40 times faster for downloads, and up to 300 times faster for uploads than the UK average.”

The installation of Gigaclear’s FTTP system will begin with the hamlet of Seven Springs in October. It will then extend to all other areas within the project area, giving upload and download speeds to connected residents and businesses of up to 1Gbps by Christmas. 

Once the rollout in the first phase is completed, Coberley, Upper Coberley, Cowley, Stockwell, Cockleford, Elkstone and Colesbourne will be connected during the first quarter of 2016.

Hare added that by working with local communities, landowners and the county council, Gigaclear aims to minimise the impact on the local environment during the construction stage while its installs the  network.

Cllr. Mark Hawthorne said some of the county’s most isolated and difficult to reach areas will benefit from Fastershire’s new rollout in the Cotswolds.

Cllr. Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Some of the county’s most isolated and difficult to reach areas will benefit from Fastershire’s new rollout in the Cotswolds. We know that residents are increasingly eager to see details on when they may be upgraded so I’m delighted to now publish the full list of premises included in the rollout.”

Fastershire has published a full list of all premises included in its phase 2 broadband rollout in the Cotswolds. Later in September, Gigaclear will publish a full schedule for the delivery, including the expected timeframe, for all communities within the plans.

Fastershire is a partnership between Gloucestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council to build a world class broadband network for the two counties.

The first phase of the project, working with BT, has already provided fibre to 43,188 homes and businesses in Gloucestershire, upgrading 193 cabinets in 40 exchange areas.