A new broadband provider is speeding into Rutland this month.

Engineering work is getting underway this month to connect homes and businesses in Oakham to full fibre broadband – part of a £9 million infrastructure boost for Rutland.

By the time the work is completed in spring, 2024, more than 6,000 properties in the market town will have access to broadband provider Gigaclear's rural network, giving them the opportunity to benefit from fast and reliable speeds.

This comes after Upp launched in the country's smallest county earlier this year, bringing connectivity to Oakham and Rutland. Now, it appears that multiple companies are vying for the customer of Rutland residents as the traditional market town is the first area within the county to achieve connectivity...

Gigaclear has already expanded its full-fibre network to a number of underserved rural communities in Rutland including Lyddington, Bisbrooke and Uppingham and is working towards connecting other villages such as Empingham, North Luffenham and Edith Weston. The first residents in Oakham are expected to begin having access to ultrafast broadband in the autumn.

Delivery Director Tony Smith said: "Our plan is to extend our network from Uppingham, along the A6003, to Oakham and then begin connecting properties. There are many great benefits to living in market towns such as Oakham but having access to faster broadband is not one of the things you automatically expect. This is because, on average, people living in more urban areas enjoy much faster broadband speeds than people in rural locations - and Ofcom says that divide is growing.

"Gigaclear's mission is to address this gap by taking its full fibre broadband to residents in rural villages and towns so they're able to work from home, stream online entertainment, scroll and gameplay just like everyone else."

During the engineering work, Gigaclear will be utilising existing Openreach ducts and poles wherever possible in order to minimise disruption. 

For more information, visit the Gigaclear website.