GIGAHUBS
GigaHubs are part of ‘Project Gigabit’, the UK government’s £5bn national mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband for everyone in the UK.
Over the next 3 years, up to £110m of government funding will be invested into providing gigabit connectivity to up to 7,000 rural public sector buildings including schools, GP surgeries, libraries and other public buildings. This will deliver a range of benefits, such as enabling clinicians to provide remote video consultations and allowing whole classes of schoolchildren to be online, at once, with no interruptions.
GigaHubs will also bring new fibre right into the heart of communities for the first time, providing ‘hubs’ from which industry can connect surrounding homes and businesses.
The GigaHubs model works by providing funding towards infrastructure build for eligible public sector buildings which meet qualifying criteria set by BDUK and where investment cases are clear.
The benefit of GigaHubs is two-fold:
- Providing a gigabit-capable connection to a public building enhances a public service.
- The surrounding area may also become increasingly viable for commercial intervention, stimulating the market to build more networks in these areas.
GigaHubs is designed to help organisations who can:
- provide a list of public sector premises (delivering a public function and with a business justification), in need of improved connectivity, which can then act as a Hub to connect further residential and business premises
- build a collaboration with other local public sector organisations
- lead the collaboration group through the GigaHubs stages
- drive procurement activities for all partner organisations
- identify a senior leader to act as a local champion, supported by BDUK
- identify and/or provide additional funding to maximise build numbers
- procure post-GigaHubs build connectivity services to their own requirements