Cumbria Broadband Rollout Wins National Industry Award.
A major broadband rollout across Cumbria has received national recognition after Viberoptix was named Infrastructure Builder of the Year at the Connected Britain Awards in London.
The award recognises the company’s work expanding full-fibre broadband infrastructure across rural and hard-to-reach communities in the county. Viberoptix has connected more than 146,000 homes and businesses to its full-fibre network since expanding into Cumbria in 2021.
The company has also played a role in delivering the Government’s £150 million Project Gigabit programme in Cumbria. More than 37,000 premises have been connected through the scheme, helping extend gigabit-capable broadband to communities that can be challenging to reach. A significant part of the work has taken place within the Lake District National Park, where engineers have had to work carefully around protected landscapes and difficult terrain.
One example involved installing fibre cables at Coppermines Lakes Cottages near Coniston Copper Mines. Engineers used a track trencher to create narrow channels for the cables, helping reduce disturbance to the surrounding wildlife and geology. The trenches were subsequently reinstated using an asphalt material described as 65 per cent sustainable, as part of efforts to limit the environmental impact of the infrastructure work.
Viberoptix managing director Shane Haslem said the award recognised the efforts of the company's teams working both on the ground and behind the scenes. He also highlighted the challenges involved in delivering a large-scale full-fibre programme across a county with difficult terrain and protected areas.
The wider Project Gigabit programme is designed to improve access to reliable, high-speed broadband in areas that may otherwise be left behind by commercial network investment. Government figures show that BDUK-supported programmes had provided gigabit-capable coverage to almost 1.46 million UK premises by the end of June 2026.
For Cumbria, improved digital connectivity is expected to support businesses, remote workers, families and local communities, while also helping rural areas access services and opportunities that increasingly depend on reliable internet connections. The award comes as Cumbria continues its wider digital infrastructure programme, with local authorities aiming to improve gigabit broadband, mobile coverage and future 5G opportunities across the county.
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