Around 93 percent of homes in Hazel Grove now benefit from 'lightning fast' gigabit internet, the UK Government has announced. 

Gigabit internet is a much faster alternative to other broadband options, defined by its capability to reach download speeds of up to 1gb/s, the equivalent of 1,000mb/s. 

For comparison, the average speed for more 'conventional' broadband in the UK is 70mb/s. 

It comes as part of the government's £5bn 'Project Gigabit' initiative, aimed at extending faster broadband speeds across the country. 

At 93 percent, Hazel Grove currently sits above the national average for gigabit internet; at current, around 80 percent of the UK has access to these faster speeds. 

Welcoming the news, Paul Athans, MP candidate for Hazel Grove, said: "Families and businesses across Hazel Grove constituency rely heavily on the internet for work and leisure, so it is brilliant to see the Conservative Government delivering on Project Gigabit."

Paul Athans, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hazel Grove, welcomed the news (Image via Paul Athans)

He added: "With 93.30% of premises across [the] constituency now having a superfast broadband connection, it's clear the Conservative Government's plan to level up broadband is working.

"This is making work and leisure faster for people and helping to grow our local economy."

Chris Bryant, shadow Minister for Creative Industries & Digital, committed to keeping the programme should Labour form a government at the next general election. 

As ISP Review reports: "Chris Bryant, while being admittedly sceptical of Project Gigabit's performance (i.e. slowness in awarding contracts and delays in the voucher scheme), has indicated [...] that he would seek to honour Project Gigabit's plans and existing budget."

As the MP himself said: "We're conscious that £5bn was set aside for it, and that policy hasn't changed."

What can residents expect of gigabit internet?

Naturally, the biggest difference between gigabit internet and other broadband is the speed. 

Streaming, downloading, calls, and more will be much more smooth. 

Comparison service USwitch said: "Gigabit speeds are impressive and the thought of downloading files in seconds can be tempting, but there are times when gigabit internet isn't worth the additional cost."

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