Gigaclear delivery delays
Essex County Council holds a contract with Gigaclear to bring ultrafast broadband to homes and businesses in Braintree, Colchester, Epping Forest, and Uttlesford. Since 2015, Gigaclear has been working with our Superfast Essex programme to connect rural Essex to full fibre broadband. We awarded Gigaclear four contracts that presented the best value for taxpayers, aiming to bring ultrafast broadband to over 10,000 addresses.
We recognise how vital decent broadband is for homes and businesses in rural areas and know that delivering connections to hard-to-reach areas is key to boosting the Essex economy. However, three of these contracts remain unfulfilled, leaving some addresses without access to decent broadband speeds.
Latest update as of 23/06/2025:
We’re working with Essex County Council and Gigaclear to bring full fibre broadband to your area.
Right now, the project is in the planning stage. We expect the work to be finished in about 18 months. At this time, we can’t give exact dates for when each home will be connected.
Some homes may be harder to reach, and Gigaclear will need to overcome a few challenges to get everyone connected. We’ll keep you updated as things move forward.
You might soon receive a wayleave agreement. This is a simple form that gives permission for Gigaclear to install cables on private land. Please return it quickly so the work can continue.
Also, some residents will hear from Gigaclear about the UK Gigabit Voucher (UKGV) Scheme. Gigaclear’s Community Team will visit homes to explain more and help you sign up if you’re interested.
Previous updates:
18/03/2025 to 21/06/2025: Essex County Council and Gigaclear have reached an agreement to continue bringing faster broadband to more homes in Essex over the next 18 months, which is great news for areas with poor internet.
26/07/24 to 06/03/25 - in July 2024, Essex County Council began court proceedings after unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue of 400 addresses that still lack access to decent broadband speeds through contractual mechanisms.
18/04/24 to 25/07/24 - this matter is now with Essex Legal Services.
10/10/22 to 11/04/24 - no further update to the current situation. We are still working with Gigaclear via our contractual mechanisms to resolve the delays.