Project Gigabit
Project Gigabit is the UK Government's plan to roll out gigabit-capable broadband services across the country from April 2023.
A 'gigabit-capable connection' is a broadband service that can achieve at least 1,000 megabit (1 gigabit) per second download speed.
Funding has been allocated to upgrade connections to properties that are not expected to receive a gigabit-capable service from any planned upgrade programmes (such as those funded by commercial investment), or properties that cannot currently access a superfast broadband service of at least 30 Mbps.
The nationwide project is led and managed by Building Digital UK (BDUK, a department of the Government) and not local authorities. In mid-2026 BDUK moved into the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
BDUK’s regular updates can be found on the Gov.UK website:
Project Gigabit network build contract – East and West Sussex
In February 2024, Building Digital UK (BDUK) awarded a £100 million contract to CityFibre to deliver gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure to around 52,000 hard-to-reach premises in East and West Sussex, including Brighton and Hove, that are not expected to benefit from telecom providers' commercial upgrade programmes.
BDUK will lead this project and will be responsible for working with the supplier to manage the roll out.
BDUK update May 2026
Following a significant expansion in commercial rollout and changes to market conditions, in May 2026 CityFibre and Building Digital UK (BDUK) agreed to redesign the contract for East and West Sussex, which has now been revised to cover around 13,000 premises backed with £25.2 million investment through Project Gigabit.
The contract redesign minimises overlap with other suppliers’ commercial rollout, ensuring value for money for taxpayers by focusing public funding on premises that would otherwise miss out.
BDUK is in discussions with other suppliers to ensure remaining premises not covered by any rollout plans still get access to fast, reliable broadband as soon as possible.
Contact
To contact DCMS please email them direct: enquiries@dcms.gov.uk
To find out more about CityFibre and to use their postcode checkers, go to: https://cityfibre.com/