To help people and businesses take advantage of the projects and interventions funded through the DI directorate, the UK needs high quality coverage. Through the Wireless Infrastructure Strategy published in 2023, the UK announced its ambition to deliver nationwide coverage of standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030. This will bring its full benefits to villages and rural communities well beyond cities and towns.
A premises is classified as ‘very hard to reach’ when it is out of scope to be built commercially or through a government funded intervention scheme. This could be for one of several reasons, such as being in a remote location. DSIT analysis shows that potentially less than 100,000 premises are likely to be too costly to connect to a gigabit-capable connection. As such, they may require government intervention to provide them with an ultrafast broadband connection.
The Very Hard to Reach alpha trials are being funded by DSIT to help up to 35,000 premises access low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity. While a number of DSIT supported projects use the Government’s Shared Outcomes fund are focused on innovative ways to deliver better coverage.