With many businesses across the Cumberland Council patch now using the various improved connectivity options available to them to increase sales, work more efficiently and showcase what they have to offer, there has never been a better time to check to see what options are available in your area.
Almost 95% of homes and businesses across the county can now access superfast broadband speeds of above 30Mbps with over 46% now able to access gigabit speeds.
There are also opportunities to use greater mobile connectivity around the county with current outdoor 4G geographic coverage levels standing at over 90% from at least one mobile provider and 64% from all 4 major UK network providers.
Mobile connectivity has been used by many Cumbrian businesses to provide their services flexibly and some businesses now use 4G as their main digital connectivity route.
Castle Guards Farm Luxury Glamping Retreat near Cockermouth is one business who is doing this. As they gear up for the busy Easter period, we talked to Emma Hind who alongside her family run all aspects of their business, about the importance of having a stable online connection at all times.
Emma said:
“Our 4G service really supports so many aspects of what we do from both a business and home perspective, for those of us in areas where the current fixed line broadband service does not meet the level required it is vital”.
“With the use of 4G technology, we can drive a host of administrative tasks, maximise our online footprint and confidently offer visitors the ability to access online services during their stay.”
Cumberland Councillor Chris Southward, Executive Member for Digital Connectivity and Customer Focus; spoke of the improved connectivity in the Cumberland area:
“Digital connectivity is critical to the residents, businesses and visitors of Cumberland. It is great to see so many businesses using these services to support what they do and as a Council we continue to strive to support the further improvements which continue to happen across our county”.
The Connecting Cumbria team continue to support a number of workstreams to improve connectivity across Cumbria to ensure the county becomes a more attractive place to live, run a business, to study and to visit:
- In Cumbria, UK Government awarded the Project Gigabit contract to Fibrus Ltd, who will be providing wholesale services on the publicly funded infrastructure under the brand Hyperfast GB to up to 60,000 properties across Cumbria by 2026. This contract, which is in delivery phase, has to date served over 2,000 properties across our county. Deployment under this contract will continue until 2026.
- It is expected that up to 80% of properties around the UK will be covered through the commercial deployment of new gigabit capable infrastructure by a mix of different network companies by the end of 2025. Through a combination of commercial deployments, based upon currently announced plans, and the Project Gigabit delivery we anticipate that gigabit coverage in Cumbria will exceed 99% of properties by 2026.
- The UK Government Shared Rural Network mobile infrastructure programme is seeking to deliver 95% geographical 4G coverage in the UK from at least one Mobile Network Operator by 2025.
- The Borderlands Partnership has been established to unlock the potential for sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the South of Scotland and North of England. The Borderlands has recently been named as one of ten 5G Innovation Regions to share in a £36 million fund from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
- 5G is a critical emerging technology which will create a range of opportunities for businesses, leisure, transport, service delivery and safety and Cumbria. This continues to be researched across Cumbria.
If you have any questions regarding connectivity in your area, please direct these to info@connectingcumbria.org.uk