AN award-winning scheme that supports residents and businesses by boosting broadband speeds is set to expand its services to more rural areas.

In the past decade, Essex County Council’s Superfast Essex programme has connected one in five addresses across the county to new superfast broadband speeds.

After connecting more than 160,000 homes and businesses, the programme's final contract is set to be complete by the end of August.

This final step, Phase 4b, will reach addresses in some of the most rural locations across Essex.

Without intervention from Superfast Essex, these 3,500 addresses would not have been included in the broadband rollout.

Superfast Essex was initially a £24.6 million programme funded by the council, the Government’s Building Digital UK programmes, and commercial partner Openreach.

This upgrade included the rural Oak Business Park in Beaumont, Tendring, which is so remote it shares the grounds with peacocks.  

Before the rollout, the site's limited connectivity caused various problems for its businesses and reduced the park’s appeal.

Iain Greenwood, owner of IT company Micrologic, said: “Trying to run all of our systems with 3Mbps was absolutely dire – the connection would just grind to a halt.”

Since the upgrade, Oak Business Park has welcomed more businesses on site and plans to expand.

Mr Greenwood added: “This wouldn’t have been possible without fibre broadband

“We’ve gone from 3Mbps on a good day to 80Mbps being the minimum speed we receive – it’s been transformational.”

Following the success of the programme, the council plans to provide access to superfast broadband connections to every resident and business address by 2025. This is in line with the government's national targets to achieve 85 percent gigabit coverage.

Alongside this, the council and partners are seeking to secure a Dvolution Deal which would award more funding and the ability to influence investment in digital connectivity across the county. 

Tom Cunningham, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for planning a growing economy, said: “Driving forward programmes which give residents and businesses access to better digital connections is vital for the future of Essex’s economy.

“Securing a Devolution Deal for Greater Essex could be key to our success, allowing us to focus on where broadband and mobile connectivity is needed most, ensure residents and businesses aren’t left behind, and explore opportunities for economic growth at a local level.”