Rural broadband provider Voneus has withdrawn from its £12m Project Gigabit contract to connect over 6,000 homes in mid-west Shropshire. The decision, described as mutual, follows ongoing concerns about the company’s current service and the challenges of delivering high-speed connectivity in the region.
The contract, awarded in March 2024, was set to provide gigabit-capable connections to some of the country’s most remote areas, with the first customers expected online in 2025. However, Voneus has faced a flood of complaints from customers who cited slow speeds and unreliable service, according to the BBC.
Building Digital UK (BDUK), the government agency responsible for overseeing the rollout, has promised to act quickly to find alternative suppliers to ensure the affected properties are connected as planned.
In a joint statement, Voneus and BDUK confirmed their agreement to terminate the contract. “We are moving swiftly to put in place alternative plans with other suppliers to connect premises that were due to be connected,” a BDUK spokesperson said.
Local councillor Heather Kidd has been vocal about the impact of poor connectivity on rural communities. “Working from home isn’t a luxury—it’s essential,” she said. Kidd also highlighted the reliance on landline-based VoIP services due to poor mobile phone coverage, leaving many residents “completely cut off.”
Voneus initially responded by pledging to improve communication with affected communities, but these efforts appear to have fallen short. The termination of the Project Gigabit contract raises fresh concerns about the future of broadband services in mid-west Shropshire, especially for customers still relying on Voneus’s existing wireless network.
“This decision will undoubtedly affect Voneus’s business case,” Kidd said. “While the termination may be the right move, the current system still requires urgent support and improved customer care.”
BDUK now faces the challenge of finding a reliable alternative provider to ensure rural Shropshire is not left behind in the UK’s digital transformation. We may see similar “project migrations” next year (2025) as a large amount of projects were awarded and began rolling out this year (2024).
