AROUND 2,000 homes and businesses in the north of Cinderford are expected to get access to high-speed internet access through telecoms company Gigaclear by the end of the year.

With the cabling between the communities now live, and with much of the south of the town connected, engineers are in the process of taking the network to a further 2,000 properties to the north of the town either by digging new trenches or using existing infrastructure such as poles and ducting.

The majority of the town’s homes and businesses are expected to have access by the end of the year.

Senior Project Manager Beth Dale said Gigaclear is working hard to ensure rural, often hard to reach communities such as Cinderford can access the same fast and reliable full fibre broadband enjoyed by larger urban areas.

She said: “We’re already halfway through cabling properties in Cinderford and we’ll be completing the remainder over the next few months. Rolling out full fibre in Cinderford has presented us with a few challenges because of the nature of the road network in and around the town and having to deconflict with work being carried out by other infrastructure and utility companies.

“Taking our full fibre to rural communities that would otherwise have copper or an inferior broadband connection fundamentally changes them for the better because it creates choice for the people in those communities about how they work and how they live their lives.”

To find out if you are able to access Gigaclear’s full fibre broadband, click here