FIBRE Optic Broadband will be introduced to more rural areas in Gloucestershire with over 35,000 homes and businesses expected to benefit.

Elmstone Hardwicke, Stoke Orchard, Deerhurst, Portway and Brookthorpe have been announced as the first communities in Gloucestershire that will benefit from the next phase of the faster broadband rollout being delivered by Gigaclear through the Fastershire project.

Gigaclear specialises in connecting rural communities by installing its pure fibre network straight into the property which offers a future-proof solution and broadband speeds of up to 1000Mbps.

This enables some of the hardest to reach homes and businesses across the county to have access to ultrafast broadband. 

Gigaclear has already enabled around 5,000 additional homes and business in the Cotswolds under a separate contract awarded to them last year by the Fastershire project, and once completed later this summer this will see ultrafast fibre broadband made available to over 6,500 premises deep in the Cotswolds.

Phase one of the project, delivered by BT, has already seen over 78,000 homes and businesses in the county able to access superfast broadband speeds of 30Mbps or more.

This next phase of rollout will see ultrafast broadband being installed in areas that did not benefit from phase one.

Cllr Lynden Stowe, cabinet member for economy, skills and growth at Gloucestershire County Council, said: "Faster broadband is vital for our communities and businesses to thrive and grow.

"I’m delighted that the Fastershire project, in partnership with Gigaclear, will be taking faster broadband to even more homes and businesses in some of the most rural areas of the county where larger suppliers were not prepared to go without public investment."

Joe Frost, Business Development Director at Gigaclear said: "We are delighted to be providing a futureproof network to local people, which will improve the quality of their lives for work, entertainment, communications and play! 

"Thousands of properties in the Cotswolds have already been connected to our ultrafast broadband service on time and in budget thanks to the Fastershire project. 

"We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Gloucestershire County Council through phase two and look forward to welcoming these new communities to our network. 

"There is no doubt that this will continue to be socially and economically transformative for these rural areas."

Over 35,000 homes and businesses across the county are expected to benefit from this next phase which is due to start later in the summer.

Information is available on which premises are included in this next phase of rollout through the line checker on www.fastershire.com