Buckinghamshire Council is using satellite technology to deliver ultrafast broadband to rural locations as part of a deal with IT supplier CGI.

The low Earth orbit (LEO) technology, which is a lower-cost alternative to rolling out fibre in hard-to-reach places, will also make a free public wireless service available for citizens in village halls.

The leader of Buckinghamshire Council, Martin Tett, said digital connectivity is central to the prosperity of the county. The agriculture and tourism industries will be the main commercial beneficiaries of the service, but the council also wants to improve quality of life for residents.

“CGI has partnered with us to develop a well-thought-out and innovative approach to supporting improved connectivity across our region, particularly in those communities that have previously proven hard to reach,” said Tett.

The Buckinghamshire initiative supports Project Gigabit, a programme introduced in 2021 with the aim of accelerating the UK’s recovery from Covid-19, boosting high-growth sectors such as tech and the creative industries, and levelling up the country by spreading wealth and creating jobs.

On its launch, the previous UK government said the scheme would prioritise areas with slow connections that would otherwise be left behind in commercial broadband companies’ plans.

The current government reconfirmed the original objective to build a broadband infrastructure that would see 85% of the UK have gigabit-capable connectivity by the end of 2025 and then full nationwide coverage by 2030.

By April 2024, more than £1.3bn had already been invested in Project Gigabit contracts, resulting in nearly 82% of properties across the UK having access to gigabit broadband, up from just 7% at the same time five years ago. This investment saw more than a million rural homes, businesses and public buildings upgraded to gigabit-capable networks.

LEO satellites circle the Earth at lower altitudes than geosynchronous satellites. They orbit between 200km and 2,000km above the Earth and are often used for communications, military reconnaissance, spying and other imaging applications.

Using satellite for primary or secondary connectivity is becoming more affordable, and in many use cases, performance is on par with available wired or cellular connectivity. Increasing numbers of businesses have begun deploying data services using LEO satellites.

In 2023, CGI ran a pilot to show how a combination of LEO satellite and terrestrial communications networks could provide broadband connectivity, and how constellations of communication satellites could fill gaps in terrestrial coverage to provide additional capacity in a cost-effective way.

Ian Dunbar, senior vice-president of consulting services, media and communications at CGI in the UK, said: “This project supports Buckinghamshire Council’s programme for connecting rural communities, enhancing everyday life through digital connectivity. Having fast, stable and reliable connectivity is necessary for Buckinghamshire to deliver key critical services to rural communities, and CGI’s hybrid solution, using low Earth orbit satellite technology, significantly benefits industries located in remote areas – including agriculture and tourism.”

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