A total of 17 public sites in Greater Manchester– including homeless shelters, charities and community centres – are benefiting from free fibre broadband connectivity until 2025 as part of a major digital infrastructure and inclusion programme from Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Virgin Media Business.
The community sites have been connected as part of the UK’s largest public sector Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme, which began in March 2020 and is now reaching completion.
Deeplish Community Centre in Rochdale is one of the sites benefiting from free fibre connectivity.
Operations Manager at the centre, Sohail Ahmad, said:
“The free fibre broadband at Deeplish Community Centre is improving people’s prospects and breaking down digital exclusion barriers made worse during the pandemic. Without the improved connectivity at our site, many in our community would be locked out of today’s digital society.
“Instead, more than 500 local people can now get online for free at our centre, learning new skills: from online banking, to using digital tools to support the language barrier we have in our community – or even young people visiting the site to complete their homework. Thanks to the programme, we’re seeing improved wellbeing and new prospects for our people.”
GMCA partnered with Virgin Media Business to connect more than 1,500 public sector across the region with 2,700km of new fibreoptic broadband infrastructure as part of the LFFN programme. This has included over 150 children’s centres, 97 school sites and 70 libraries.
The deal also included a number of bold investments in social value initiatives that support Greater Manchester’s Digital Blueprint and help tackle digital exclusion across the region – as many as 1.2m residents in Greater Manchester could be excluded in some way to access the benefits digital brings. These initiatives included providing full fibre broadband free of charge to Deeplish Community Centre and 16 other community sites. As well as connecting those 1,500 plus public sector sites to a full-fibre network, the programme has provided significant social and economic benefits in the region.
This includes exceeding GMCA’s local employment target, with an average 78% of the LFFN workforce based in Greater Manchester – bringing £19.7m-worth of economic value to the local area (direct and indirect) in just two years. Since the programme began, Virgin Media Business has also taken on 38 new Greater Manchester-based apprentices, running ahead of the original apprenticeship targets it set at launch.
Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader of Bury Council and GMCA Lead for Education, Skills, Work, Apprenticeships & Digital said:
“In Greater Manchester, we’re ensuring everyone, whatever their age, location or situation, can benefit from the opportunities digital brings.
“I’m encouraged to see digital infrastructure being used to directly benefit our communities. This programme has set a standard and a legacy for industry, public sector and communities working together on meaningful change and towards fixing the digital divide, as we equip the region with the infrastructure it needs to become a world class digital city region.”
