Consultation outcome

Closure of the Second Release of Phase 2 Areas Public Reviews

Updated 10 August 2023

The Public Review process for the Project Gigabit Programme in the Second Release of Phase 2 Areas concluded on Friday 29 April 2022 at 5pm.

Building Digital UK (BDUK) requested evidence from all stakeholders - including the public, businesses, internet service providers and broadband infrastructure providers in relation to the proposed mapped eligible areas and associated postcode list, which has now closed to responses.

The Public Reviews covered the following geographical areas and began on Tuesday 29 March 2022:

  • Derbyshire (Lot 3)
  • Lancashire (Lot 9)
  • Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes (Lot 12)
  • East Sussex (Lot 16)
  • Surrey (Lot 22)
  • Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire (inc Swindon) (Lot 30)

These Public Reviews aimed to validate the outcome of the recent Open Market Review (OMR) and BDUK’s mapping to ensure that it correctly represents the information provided by suppliers in the course of the OMR and to ensure that the right areas are targeted for government investment.

The Second Release of Phase 2 Areas OMR was published through a notification on the DCMS Government portal on 20 October 2021 and ended on 22 November 2021.

Next Steps

Following the completion of the evaluation of all responses received, BDUK will then proceed to finalise the Intervention Areas within the Second Release of Phase 2 Areas. We will also publish finalised Closure Notices for each Lot Area highlighting our key findings; which will be made available on gov.uk.

Once this has been completed, BDUK will begin formal procurement activities. This will involve BDUK proceeding to issue an Invitation to Tender via a procurement portal, for suppliers to bid for the opportunity to deliver extended gigabit-capable broadband coverage within the Second Release of Phase 2 Areas.

If you are a Supplier, and would like to know more about specifically the forthcoming procurement process for the Second Release of Phase 2 Areas, please contact the BDUK Supplier Relationship Management team via bduksuppliers@dcms.gov.uk.

If you have any other questions, please contact ukgigabit@bduk.zendesk.com for assistance.