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Alternative rural broadband ISP Quickline has today reported that they’ve hit their “first milestones” as part of their state aid supported Project Gigabit broadband roll-out contracts for West and South Yorkshire. More than 10,000 rural premises now have access to their new full fibre (FTTP) network as a result, with more to come.
The provider is currently being backed by a private investment of £500m from Northleaf Capital Partners and aims to cover 200,000 premises with FTTP by the end of 2025 (up from 65,000 premises in Nov 2023). But as well as its own commercial builds, the operator also holds several state aid supported roll-out contracts for Yorkshire under the government’s £5bn Project Gigabit broadband programme.
The latest development thus reflects their contracts for both the West Yorkshire and York Area (Lot 8 – original aim of 28,000 premises, £60m) and South Yorkshire (Lot 20 – original aim of 32,100 premises, £44m). Each contract includes phased delivery targets and progress has been made on these.
By the end of March 2025, Quickline was required to connect 6,273 funded premises in West Yorkshire and the York area. This target was surpassed, with 6,426 homes and businesses connected, including premises in communities such as Harden, near Bingley and Bradshaw, near Thornton.
In South Yorkshire, the first milestone target of 3,621 addresses isn’t due until the end of June, but as of 31st March, Quickline has achieved this number, ahead of schedule. Communities benefiting include Barnby Dun, near Doncaster, Ealand, Keadby, and Todwick.
When including the addresses Quickline has reached as part of its commercial build across rural West and South Yorkshire, more than 30,000 addresses now have gigabit-capable connectivity.
Dan Hague, Project Gigabit Delivery Director at Quickline, said:
“These contracts are complex by nature, often involving challenging rural builds and limited existing infrastructure. That’s why we’re proud to not only hit, but exceed, our first milestones – particularly so in South Yorkshire.
We’re still in the early stages of our Project Gigabit contracts and have a long way to go, and we remain focused on staying on track and delivering the broadband connectivity that rural communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire need and deserve.
Thanks to the commitment of our teams and build partners, we’re connecting thousands of premises and making real progress on closing the digital divide.”
Telecoms Minister, Chris Bryant, said:
“Quickline’s exceptional progress in Yorkshire shows what can be achieved when government and industry work together to tackle digital inequality, ensuring people like Colin can make the most of the modern world no matter where they live.
By exceeding these first milestones and connecting over 10,000 government-funded properties ahead of schedule, we’re already delivering on our commitment to level up digital infrastructure across the country, creating a more connected Britain where geography is no barrier to opportunity.”
Residential customers reached by their new full fibre network are typically charged from £22 per month on a 24-month term for 100Mbps (50Mbps upload) speeds with free installation, which goes up to just £32.67 (average) for their top 1000Mbps symmetric speed tier. But the gigabit package is currently running a confusing discount, which means the first month is £49, then the next 8 months are free and after that it’s £49 monthly.