Buckinghamshire Council delivers ultrafast broadband to rural communities

Many rural communities in Buckinghamshire have long struggled with poor broadband coverage, limiting opportunities for education, business growth and social engagement. Buckinghamshire Council, in collaboration with CGI, embarked on an ambitious project to connect the unconnected. By leveraging cutting-edge hybrid satellite technology and mobile connectivity, we delivered ultra-fast, reliable broadband to village halls in the most remote areas of the county far quicker than would have otherwise been possible – enabling key digital services and enhancing community engagement. 

Bridging the digital divide in rural Buckinghamshire

Rural communities in Buckinghamshire have historically faced challenges with poor broadband coverage, which has hindered access to key services such as education, business operations, and social engagement. Buckinghamshire Council is committed to improving digital connectivity across the county, ensuring that residents and businesses, regardless of location, have access to essential digital services.

Many village halls in these remote areas were unable to access high-speed broadband, and fibre rollouts were not expected to reach them until 2026 or beyond. This digital divide left local communities without the connectivity needed for activities such as virtual meetings, digital payments, and event streaming.

To address this issue, Buckinghamshire Council required an innovative, cost-effective solution to provide high-speed broadband to these rural areas, with a focus on quickly bridging the connectivity gap and empowering local residents and businesses. They chose to partner with CGI due to our secure, flexible and scalable solution that could be deployed at speed.

Innovative high-speed connectivity

CGI partnered with Buckinghamshire Council to deliver an innovative, hybrid broadband solution, combining terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, which overcame the geographical and infrastructural challenges traditionally associated with rural broadband provision.

This innovative approach ensured the deployment of high-speed internet in a matter of weeks, which is far quicker than many traditional methods of providing rural connectivity, which can often take years to deliver.

Working with specialist suppliers, we deployed ultrafast, secure and reliable broadband to village halls across Buckinghamshire. Our solution was designed to provide:

• A robust and secure hybrid network – using terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks
• A free-to-use public wireless service – enabling local communities to benefit directly
• High-speed connectivity – where fibre was not available
• Immediate broadband access – rather than waiting for long-term fibre deployment.
• A scalable and portable solution – capable of rapid deployment in other remote areas

Transformational community outcomes

One of the most compelling outcomes of this project is the transformation in the daily lives of the community members. Through this collaboration, Buckinghamshire’s rural communities are no longer left behind in terms of digital access.

With the introduction of ultra-fast connectivity there has been a notable increase in digital engagement. Village halls and businesses across the county are now able to take electronic payments, stream music for dance classes and hold paperless online meetings - things we would normally take for granted but are having a positive impact on citizens' way of life.