As a predominantly rural county, Lincolnshire has always grappled with the challenge of broadband connectivity. But is it now lagging behind the rest of the world?

In an era where school curriculums now include emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, having easy access to the web is more important than ever. Unfortunately, this isn't the case for some parts of Lincolnshire with rural villages and hamlets becoming seemingly disadvantaged.

This was evidenced in a recent USwitch survey which ranked Brant Road in Waddington among the top 10 streets with the slowest broadband in the UK, coming in with an average 0.4Mbs download speed.

County Councillor Ian Fleetwood (Conservative) voiced his concern about the county's potential digital divide during a recent Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee meeting.

He noted that some villages on the outskirts of Lincoln, such as Stainfield, have as many 'notspots' – areas without internet service – as they do residents connected to the web.

"It's unfair for people within the county who have to go through an awful amount of trouble to get a fairly basic function in life now," added the representative for Bardney & Cherry Willingham ward.

This claim was substantiated by a recent Uswitch study, which found that Brant Road in Waddington was among the top 10 streets with the slowest broadband in the UK, with a measly 0.4Mbps download speed on average.

This discussion comes as Upp Broadband head into the East Midlands, connecting Stamford, Oakham, Grantham and the surrounding areas with fiberoptic broadband.

Over the coming years, multiple projects aim to bring gigabit-capable broadband to rural areas deemed non-commercially viable by existing providers, but how will they benefit Lincolnshire?

Project Gigabit

Project Gigabit is the government's flagship £5 billion programme, aiming to bring high-speed connectivity to properties in remote communities and areas with poor connectivity in urban settings.

The government's target is to make gigabit broadband available nationwide by 2030, with an expected 85% coverage by 2025.

However, Stephen Brookes, Broadband Programme Manager for Lincolnshire County Council, mentioned that in tandem with the government project, the local authority is examining various strategies to tackle the remaining 15% of premises in the county with subpar broadband coverage.

To achieve this, it might be necessary to consider alternatives to fibre technology. One such possibility could involve discussions with SpaceX founder Elon Musk about using his Starlink satellites, which have already started to offer faster communication speeds than land-based broadband in some locations.

Chairman of the committee Councillor Ian Carrington (Conservative) said: "For most places and most people, it might well be that fibre is absolutely the right thing, but when we move into the deep countryside, businesses and houses will need a more appropriate technology."

Project Gigahub

Funded by Building Digital UK (BDUK), Project Gigahub aims to provide full fibre connectivity to publicly owned rural buildings such as schools, doctor's surgeries, and emergency service stations.

Commercial providers will be encouraged to upgrade adjacent communities from these hub sites.

Initially, Lincolnshire County Council's broadband team identified 185 potential sites across Greater Lincolnshire that could benefit from the scheme. However, BDUK has since trimmed the number down to 62, reasoning that the removed sites were likely to be covered under Project Gigabit.

Looking ahead

With these two significant projects in mind, along with the substantial commercial investment the county has seen in recent years, it's evident that steps are being taken to enhance Lincolnshire's digital infrastructure.

It's also crucial to note that Lincolnshire is not alone in this struggle; studies have indicated that several regions in Scotland and Wales also face significant connectivity challenges.

Addressing Councillor Fleetwood's concern, Mr Brookes stated: "Project Gigabit is to deal with the last 15% of premises across the whole of the UK and that in itself tells you that we're not behind the rest of the world.

"It probably seems that way to people that can't get online, but we certainly aren't the worst."

Councillor Carrington continued: "I don't think that it's a case that Lincolnshire is further behind than that of Devon or Cornwall, it's purely a factor of physical geography.

"I spent my childhood in the lake district and trust me it's really difficult to get any kind of signal there.

"We're dealing with the last knockings really. We know that it is the most difficult but we will get there as it is essential if rural parts of our county are to have a future."