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More than 60,000 homes and businesses across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire can now access gigabit capable broadband following the latest milestone in the government's Project Gigabit programme. The rollout, delivered by provider Quickline under a £127 million government contract, was announced by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 6 August 2026.
Villages including Winterton in North Lincolnshire, Fosdyke in Lincolnshire, and Sessay and Linton on Ouse in Yorkshire were among the first communities to benefit, with more being connected each week. Quickline says its full fibre network now reaches around 260,000 premises across both counties in total, with the Project Gigabit element covering the 60,000 properties that would otherwise have been left out of commercial rollout plans.
Key Facts
- Premises reached: Over 60,000 rural homes and businesses in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
- Provider: Quickline Communications, under a £127 million Project Gigabit contract
- National reach: Building Digital UK has delivered gigabit broadband to more than 1.4 million premises across the UK
- UK coverage: 88% of UK premises can now access gigabit capable broadband, up from 6% in early 2019
- Skills output: Quickline has supported more than 1,700 young people through STEM workshops and provided over 130 apprenticeships directly linked to Project Gigabit funding
Project Gigabit is the government's programme to extend gigabit capable broadband, fast enough to download data at up to one gigabit per second to parts of the UK that commercial providers would not otherwise reach. It targets rural and hard to reach areas where the business case for private investment is weak.
The programme works through competitively tendered contracts with broadband providers:
- Building Digital UK (BDUK): The government body within DCMS responsible for contracting, managing, and monitoring Project Gigabit rollouts across England
- Quickline Communications: The provider contracted to deliver coverage across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire under the £127 million agreement
- Contract model: Providers receive public funding to build infrastructure in areas excluded from commercial plans, with the network then made available to residents and businesses
- Ongoing delivery: New communities are connected on a rolling basis, Quickline continues adding villages to the network each week
- Oversight: Ofcom tracks national broadband coverage through its Connected Nations reporting series
Recently Connected Areas
- Lincolnshire: Sutton St James, Tydd St Giles, villages west of Boston, Burgh le Marsh, and communities between Skegness and Coningsby
- East Riding / East Yorkshire: Newport, Gilberdyke, and villages around Beverley and Market Weighton including Holme on Spalding Moor and Middleton on the Wolds
- West Yorkshire: Villages around Hebden Bridge such as Cragg Vale, communities near Holmfirth, and areas west of Bradford
- North Yorkshire: Middleton Tyas near Scotch Corner, Fylingthorpe near Robin Hood's Bay, Hawes and Askrigg in the Yorkshire Dales, and Bishopthorpe near York
Beyond the infrastructure itself, Quickline has run parallel education and employment programmes linked to the Project Gigabit contract. The provider delivered STEM workshops at Skirlaugh Primary School in East Yorkshire for 80 Year 5 and Year 6 pupils, covering engineering and telecommunications. More than 1,700 young people across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have taken part in Quickline's STEM outreach, and over 130 people have gained hands on experience through its apprenticeship programme, all attributed directly to the Project Gigabit funding.
The practical impact of the upgrade varies by household and business type:
For Households
- Video calls: Reliable connections without dropouts for families using platforms like Teams, Zoom, or FaceTime
- Remote working: Stable upload and download speeds for people working from home in rural areas
- Education: Students can access online learning resources without buffering or connection failures
- Entertainment: Simultaneous streaming, gaming, and browsing without degraded performance
For Businesses
- Payments: Rural businesses can take card payments and access cloud based services more reliably
- Customer reach: Improved connectivity supports e-commerce and online customer communications
- Growth: Faster broadband removes a practical barrier to starting or expanding a business in rural areas
- Competitiveness: Rural firms gain access to the same digital tools as urban counterparts
According to the latest Ofcom Connected Nations update for Spring 2026, 88% of UK premises can now access gigabit capable broadband up from 6% in early 2019. Building Digital UK's most recent annual statistics show the programme has delivered gigabit coverage to more than 1.4 million premises nationally, with the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire milestone forming part of that total.
Ministerial Statement
Minister of State for DCMS Ian Murray said the milestone demonstrated that Project Gigabit was "putting better digital opportunities into local communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire that have had to work around patchy connections for too long." Quickline CEO Mark Bowden said the company's aim was to ensure that "where you live shouldn't determine the opportunities available to you," and committed to continuing delivery of the Project Gigabit contracts with "many more communities" still to benefit.
Project Gigabit sits within the government's wider growth mission. DCMS has framed the programme as essential to enabling economic activity in rural areas, creating high skilled jobs, and supporting access to public services. The programme specifically targets premises outside commercial broadband rollout plans, those where no provider would invest without public subsidy.
Project Gigabit is publicly funded through BDUK contracts awarded to broadband providers:
Funding and Delivery Model
- Government role: DCMS allocates funding to Building Digital UK, which runs competitive procurement processes to select providers
- Provider contracts: Broadband companies bid for geographic lots and, once contracted, build and maintain the network using a mix of public and private investment
- Yorkshire/Lincolnshire contract: Quickline received £127 million through the programme to deliver coverage in the two counties
- Eligibility: Only premises that fall outside commercial gigabit plans qualify, the programme is designed to close the gap, not overlap with private investment
- Ongoing monitoring: Ofcom's Connected Nations updates track national progress, with the Spring 2026 report confirming 88% UK gigabit coverage
Despite the national figure of 88%, significant gaps remain in the most remote rural areas. Project Gigabit continues to focus on these hard to reach premises, the communities that commercial fibre rollouts are least likely to reach without public support. The government has not set a specific completion date for full national gigabit coverage in the announcement.
The 60,000 premises figure for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire is a milestone within a continuing programme, not a completion announcement.
Quickline is adding new villages each week, and Building Digital UK continues managing contracts across England. For residents in the areas now connected, the practical change is immediate, faster, more reliable broadband that was previously unavailable regardless of willingness to pay.
Whether the programme reaches the most remote communities at pace will depend on continued contract delivery and future public funding decisions.
Key Takeaways
- Over 60,000 rural homes and businesses in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire can now access gigabit capable broadband through Project Gigabit
- Quickline is delivering the rollout under a £127 million government contract, with communities being added to the network on a rolling weekly basis
- UK gigabit broadband coverage has risen from 6% in early 2019 to 88% as of Ofcom's Spring 2026 Connected Nations update
- More than 1,700 young people and over 130 apprentices in the region have benefited from STEM and skills programmes linked to the Quickline contract
- Project Gigabit specifically targets premises outside commercial broadband plans in areas that would not receive investment without public subsidy
Sources & Further Reading
- GOV.UK: Major broadband boost for over 60,000 rural homes and businesses in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Archived copy (OGL): archived page
- Ofcom Connected Nations Update: Spring 2026 Archived internally for verification (10 August 2026)
- Building Digital UK: Annual Statistics Archived internally for verification (10 August 2026)
- Project Gigabit - GOV.UK Archived internally for verification (10 August 2026)