Ultrafast broadband to be rolled out to more homes in the South
Thousands will be able to benefit from faster internet speeds
Last updated 28th May 2021
Ultrafast full fibre is to be rolled out to more than 160,000 extra homes and businesses across Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex.
Openreach has outlined plans to bring Full Fibre broadband to at least three million more homes and businesses around the UK – including 360,000 across the South East.
It means fewer homes and businesses in some of the country's hardest to serve communities will require taxpayer subsidies to upgrade.
A total of 60 exchanges across the three counties are being upgraded in what will be a massive nationwide, five-year project.
You can find a full list of locations below.
The company’s updated build plan will be fundamental to the UK Government achieving its target of delivering ‘gigabit-capable broadband’ to 85 per cent of UK by 2025 and it follows an extended investment commitment by its parent, BT Group – which means Openreach will now build Full Fibre technology to a total of 25 million premises, including more than six million in the hardest-to-serve parts of the country.
The plans also include an extension to the company’s biggest ever recruitment drive, with a further 1,000 new roles being created in 2021 on top of the 2,500 jobs which were announced in December 2020 – of which around 341 were in the South East.
This means that by the end of 2021, Openreach will have created and filled more than 9,000 apprenticeship roles since 2017/18.
Kieran Wines, Openreach’s Regional Director for the South East, said:
"Building a new ultrafast broadband network across the South East is a massive challenge and some parts of the region will inevitably require public funding.
"But our expanded build plan means taxpayer subsidies can be limited to only the hardest to connect homes and businesses. And with investments from other network builders, we’d hope to see that shrink further.
“This is a hugely complex, nationwide engineering project – second only to HS2 in terms of investment.
"It will help level-up the UK because the impact of Full Fibre broadband stretches from increased economic prosperity and international competitiveness, to higher employment and environmental benefits."
Openreach has already made full fibre technology available to more than 4.7 million homes and business so far.
With download speeds of 1 Gbps, it’s up to 10 times faster than the average home broadband connection.
That means faster game downloads, better quality video calls and higher resolution movie streaming, while more people can get online at once in one home without buffering or slowdowns.
Here's the full list of locations across the South to benefit from Openreach superfast Full Fibre broadband:
DORSET: Bere Regis, Bindon Abbey, Blandford, Bridport, Charmouth, Child Okeford, Lyme Regis, Martinstown, Preston, Sherborne, Sturminster Newton, Swanage, Wareham, Warmwell
HAMPSHIRE: Alresford, Bassett, Bishops Waltham, Bransgore, Dummer, Fawley, Fordingbridge, Hartley Wintney, Hook, Liphook, Lymington, Lyndhurst, Medstead, Milford on Sea, Odiham, Overton, Ringwood, Rowlands Castle, Turgis Green, Twyford, Wallop, Whitchurch
WEST SUSSEX: Ardingly, Arundel, Ashington, Balcombe, Bosham, Bracklesham Bay, Copthorne, Eastergate, Faygate, Hassocks, Henfield, Hurstpierpoint, Lindfield, Midhurst, Partridge Green, Petworth, Pulborough, Rudgwick, Scaynes Hill, Selsey, Southwater, Storrington, West Chiltington, Yapton