Rural homes in Dorset to get faster broadband

Dorset is one of ten counties in line for a gigabit speed boost

Author: PAPublished 29th Oct 2021

More than half a million more homes in rural areas including Dorset are to gain access to faster broadband as the Government continues its £5 billion gigabit rollout.

Some 567,000 properties in remote parts of Cheshire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Essex, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire are in line for the gigabit speed boost, which is the equivalent to 1,000 megabits per second.

Such speeds make it possible for a user to download an HD movie in less than 30 seconds.

The investment is part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's target of achieving at least 85% gigabit-capable UK coverage by 2025, which officials have said is "on track" to be met.

At present, the UK has 57% coverage, up from less than 6% in 2019, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

"The latest stage of our £5 billion Project Gigabit plan will help hard-to-reach homes and businesses out of the broadband slow lane and plug them into the fastest and most reliable connections available," said Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries.

"This investment is levelling up in action - building new internet connections in our rural communities so people have the speed, reliability and freedom to live and work flexibly, and take advantage of new technologies."

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