Norfolk County Council connects rural communities with ultrafast broadband

Bridging the divide in rural Norfolk

A significant number of town and village halls in remote areas were unable to access high-speed broadband, with fibre rollouts not expected to reach these locations until 2026 or later. This digital divide meant that local communities lacked the connectivity needed for essential services such as virtual meetings, digital payments and event streaming.

To address this issue, Norfolk County Council (NCC) 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 NCC 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 ten village halls across Norfolk. 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

Community benefits and transformational outcomes

One of the most compelling outcomes of this project is the transformation in the daily lives of the community members, who now have access to digital services that were previously out of reach. With the introduction of ultra-fast connectivity there has been a notable increase in digital engagement. Village halls and businesses across Norfolk 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, demonstrating how connectivity can bridge the gap between urban and rural areas.