Over the next three years, approximately 12,000 homes and businesses in North Shropshire are set to benefit from a major upgrade to digital infrastructure as Freedom Fibre starts work on the £24 million contract awarded to them as part of the UK government’s Project Gigabit, the £5 billion flagship programme targeting parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on access to gigabit-capable connectivity.

Including the 12,000 benefiting from Project Gigabit North Shropshire, Freedom Fibre are building to around 60,000 properties in total, to ensure contiguous full-fibre coverage and supporting digital advancement across the area.

Freedom Fibre’s full-fibre network is already available in Whitchurch, providing residents and businesses access to the UK’s fastest and most reliable broadband technology. For homes this means speeds up to 1Gb/s, and business packages offer bandwidth all the way up to 10Gb/s. With many areas of North Shropshire currently experiencing average broadband speeds of 30-40MB/s*, Freedom Fibre’s upgrade of the digital infrastructure will provide a much-needed broadband boost to homes and businesses in the county.

Additionally, research indicates that access to a full-fibre broadband connection can augment a property's value by up to £5000^. And working from home, made more feasible and efficient by the implementation of a full-fibre broadband network, can save the average UK worker up to £500 per month**. So, although the installation of this new infrastructure may cause a brief period of disruption, the long-term benefits for residents are substantial.

Whitchurch residents and businesses can check network availability at their address and connect via a choice of several internet service providers, and those in wider North Shropshire can register their interest for regular updates on the progress of the build in their area at www.freedomfibre.com/connect.