BT to connect 650 primary schools through Project Gigabit

BT has been awarded a £26m Project Gigabit contract to connect over 650 primary schools in hard-to-reach places across England with gigabit broadband. 

This will enable more access to online resources for children, and generate cost savings and reduce workload for frontline professionals.

The programme is jointly funded by the Department for Education and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Ashish Gupta, MD, Corporate and Public Sector at BT, said: “This investment will transform the learning experience for thousands of pupils, opening up opportunities for interactive lessons, collaborative projects with other schools and pupils anywhere in the world, as well access to an expanding online library of educational content and video. 

“Working with Openreach, we will be connecting the schools with lightning-fast broadband in phases over the next two years, with an ambition to complete delivery by Dec 2025.” 

Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “We need to make sure every pupil can benefit from these exciting digital experiences, so we’re investing millions to bring top-of-the-range broadband to schools in places that would otherwise have been stuck in the digital slow lane.”