Swansea Bay City Region received £44.8m investment in digital connectivity across FY2024–25

Private firms invested £36.44m in digital connectivity in the Swansea Bay region in FY2024-2025, according to a report released by Farrpoint for the region. There was also £2.2m from Swansea Bay City Deal and £6.14m from wider public sector investment across the four counties that form the Swansea Bay City Region, i.e. Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire. Full fibre in the area rose by 42,173 premises, with coverage increasing from 61.2% to 73.1%. Despite this strong investment, there are still 6,292 premises recorded across the region that are not able to get broadband faster than 10Mbps.

“This investment is about far more than digital infrastructure. It is about creating lasting benefits for people, businesses and communities across the Swansea Bay City Region. Strong digital connectivity supports inclusive economic growth, helping businesses to innovate, attract investment and create quality jobs, while enhancing skills, education and access to services. It also enables improvements in public service delivery, including supporting wellbeing and more efficient ways of working. City Deal funding is playing a vital role in unlocking wider public and private investment and ensuring that communities across the region, including rural areas, are able to fully participate in and benefit from a modern digital economy.”

Jonathan Burnes, Portfolio Director, Swansea Bay City Deal

Of the investment, we have written previously about BT’s £10m infill contract to provide FTTP to premises, as well as ITS Technology Group, who have received £3.5m to build a dark fibre network connecting 41 locations in Carmarthenshire. The full report for the region is available to read here.