Manx Telecom has won the £10 million contract to provide ultra-fast fibre broadband for the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man based telco will be responsible for rolling out ultrafast fibre broadband across the island.
It comes as part of a deal with the government that is part of the National Telecoms Strategy. Tynwald approved the deal in 2018.
In total there is nine intervention zones that Manx Telecom will need to reach, with these areas difficult to access.
Currently only 25 per cent of the island has access to ultrafast fibre broadband.
The telecoms provider has set out to complete the rollout within five years, while covering 99 per cent of the island with speeds of up to 1Gbps.
Minister for Enterprise, Laurence Skelly MHK said: “It is an absolute necessity to have a strong telecoms infrastructure now more than ever, and the Isle of Man Government is determined to support the development of a telecoms infrastructure that is fully inclusive and meets the needs of both businesses and the public, now and into the future.
“This rollout will give the majority of the Island’s residents more opportunity to access fast, reliable internet.”
According to Manx Telecom, by the end of last year it had reached almost 10,000 premises with its fibre network.
Manx Telecom CEO Gary Lamb added: “We welcome the opportunity to work with the Isle of Man Government to roll-out fibre to all parts of the Island, including rural areas.”
Lamb added that the move will “future-proof” the island for years to come.
