News & Events

B4RN North East is a project that extends B4RN’s Gigabit Network from their heartland in Lancashire and Cumbria and takes them further into Northumberland and County Durham.

Phase One

Saw B4RN connecting the Allen Valleys, from Spartylea through to Whitfield and Catton.

Phase Two

Is currently in delivery and covers the area of Barrasford, Kirkwhelpington and Woodburn.

What is Phase Three?

Over recent months B4RN has has had several projects approved as part of the government's roll out of gigabit-capable broadband to the hard-to-reach areas. 

B4RN has a proven track record of delivery. With over 13,000 customers connected, they have demonstrated a pace of build, resilience, far reaching coverage and a competitive offering.

The B4RN North East project will see them enabling full-fibre connectivity to homes and businesses across Northumberland and County Durham. Initial work on planning and surveys will commence soon and you will see B4RN engaging with the communities in all of these areas.

Competitive Offering

B4RN is currently offering Gigabit full-fibre broadband with speeds at 1,000 Megabits (or a Gigabit) per second. All customers receive the same symmetrical service, meaning that they will have 1,000 Megabit upload and download.

The B4RN network is capable of delivering Multi-Gigabit service ensuring future proofing connectivity for all B4RN communities.

The B4RN Difference

As a Community Benefit Society they set the rates at a level which covers their costs and enables them to operate as a sustainable business. Any surplus they make beyond this must be invested back into B4RN communities.

A B4RN project is funded by Government vouchers, grants and community investment. The organisation is owned by its Members, made up from the individual community investors.

Get Involved, Get B4RN.

Rural communities are at the heart of what B4RN do.

Their mission is "To deliver the best internet service in the country to the areas that are hardest to reach, working shoulder to shoulder with, and for, rural communities, to realise the enduring benefits of greater resilience and connectivity."

The hard work and dedication of volunteers, the generosity of the local landowners and those investing in projects, have demonstrated that with determination and a shared goal people are empowered to create significant and long lasting benefit for their wider community.

Free connections for the Community

B4RN have been providing free connections and service to primary schools, village halls, places of worship as well as other community assets such as community shops since they laid their first ducting in 2011.

Digital Inclusion

Digital poverty, marked by limited device and internet access, coupled with the digital skills gap, inhibits full digital participation. This is seen particularly among older adults, low-income households, and rural communities.

Working alongside B4RN’s community volunteers, who are key part of the delivery, and support from the local help desk in the North of England B4RN, have empowered previously under served individuals to enhance their digital skills. B4RN have tirelessly worked for over a decade to bridge this gap by providing the hardest to reach populations with symmetrical gigabit speeds directly to their homes.

Sitting alongside this is their Social tariff, which provides the same symmetrical, Gigabit full-fibre connection for half the price as their standard tariff for those who need it the most.

Digital Switch over

These connections will also future proof homes and businesses ready for the digital switch over.

Currently most telephone providers are moving their customers from old analogue landlines over to new upgraded landline services using digital technology. B4RN are able to accommodate this with their service B4RN Voice, our digital telephone service that runs over their own fibre network.

Want to find out more?

For more information on these areas included in B4RN North East.

If you would like to register for a connection please go to Get B4RN.