Internet service provider wins new contract to connect thousands of properties

Thousands of homes and businesses in rural South Yorkshire will get access to gigabit-capable broadband after Quickline Communications secured a second contract under the Government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme.

Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to connect hard-to-reach areas which, without Government intervention, would miss out on fast and reliable, gigabit capable broadband. 

The latest win means East Yorkshire-based Quickline is now one of only a handful of providers across England with multiple Project Gigabit contracts, covering a combined total of more than 60,000 premises and worth over £104m in public funding. 

The new deal will fund the rollout of a full fibre network to up to 32,100 premises across rural South Yorkshire, along with homes and businesses in East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. 

It comes just weeks after Quickline was awarded a £60m Project Gigabit contract covering 29,000 rural premises in West Yorkshire and parts of North and East Yorkshire.

The new contract will see the connection of outlying communities situated around Barnsley, Doncaster, Epworth, Goole, Maltby, Penistone, Rotherham, Sheffield and Worksop.

Quickline will connect a further 29,000 homes and businesses as part of its commercial network build.

The latest contract was awarded following a competitive public procurement process and is worth £44m in Government subsidy.

It makes Quickline, which is backed by Northleaf Capital Partners, one of the UK’s largest rural broadband providers. 

Quickline CEO, Sean Royce, said: “We are incredibly proud to have been awarded a second Project Gigabit contract and one that is again in a very important area for us.

“Our roots are in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and as a broadband provider we have a very strong regional focus.

“Winning the contract for South Yorkshire, on the back of the one for West Yorkshire, reinforces the important role we’re playing in connecting hard-to-reach communities across the region, and how we are supporting the Government in achieving its ambitions.”

Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez, added: “Thanks to Project Gigabit, thousands of rural homes and businesses across South Yorkshire will soon be able to access the fastest broadband speeds on the market.

 “Today marks an important milestone in our drive to tackle poor connectivity in Yorkshire.

“From Barnsley to Doncaster, patchy connectivity will soon be a thing of the past and lightning-fast broadband will open up new opportunities, driving employment and economic growth.”