A significant step in getting hyperfast broadband to more than 20,000 rural homes and businesses in Norfolk has been made.

Rural full-fibre specialist County Broadband has announced the appointment of NGE as its civil engineering partner to lead the multi-million-pound investment in digital infrastructure in the county.

County Broadband is building fibre-to-the-premises infrastructure to 55 rural communities in Norfolk, including the Breckland, Broadland, South Norfolk and North Norfolk areas.

The firm says 20,000 rural premises will benefit from access to gigabit speeds and superior network reliability.

Earlier this year, Essex-based County Broadband announced it had secured a further £100m in private investment from Aviva Investors to extend roll-out by the end of 2027, taking the total private investment to £146m.

The company says speeds of up to 900 Mbps will be offered to all customers and that it is targeting areas which may have been overlooked by other broadband providers.

%image(14460344, type="article-full", alt="County Broadband CEO Lloyd Felton says the roll-out of hyperfast broadband requires a "Herculean effort"")

Lloyd Felton, founder and chief executive of County Broadband, said: “To deliver our exciting plans to digitally future-proof rural Norfolk with gigabit full-fibre speeds, we need committed and skilled build partners who care about our local communities as much as we do.

“With NGE, we have found the perfect partner to support and drive our roll-out in Norfolk, given their rich heritage and proven track record of delivering significant infrastructure projects across a diverse range of sectors and environments.

“Building full-fibre infrastructure in rural areas at this scale is a complex task.

"Each project is bespoke and requires significant planning and resources, as well as the coordination of local authorities and highways, landowners and other agencies.

"That’s why the sooner we start, the sooner residents and businesses in rural areas can start enjoying all the benefits of full-fibre.”

Scott Bicknell, UK managing director at NGE, said: “NGE is thrilled to collaborate with County Broadband as well as local communities and stakeholders.

"This project gives us the opportunity to deliver our mission of interacting with communities and leaving digital legacies."

Residents and businesses can check if they are covered in County Broadband’s rollout by entering their postcode at www.countybroadband.co.uk.