Faster, more reliable broadband coming to South and West Dorset
Infrastructure will start to be improved later this year
Last updated 10th Apr 2024
It's hoped thousands more people in rural south and west Dorset will be able to access ultra fast broadband for their homes and businesses.
Dorset based broadband supplier Wessex Internet has won a £33.5 million pound government contract to improve coverage for over 21,000 households.
The contract also includes work in South Somerset, and follows another £18.8 million contract for South Wiltshire too.
The Government's Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said:
“Outdated infrastructure not only hampers economic growth for businesses and communities but also detracts from people’s quality of life. Essential tasks such as online medical appointments or business meetings shouldn't be hindered by slow speeds and unreliable service.
“Thanks to our £5 billion Project Gigabit rollout, many rural areas in Dorset and South Somerset will have access to top-of-the-range connections and can unlock more opportunities in the digital economy.”
Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO at Wessex Internet, said:
“We’re passionate about connecting rural communities to ultrafast broadband, making sure that people and businesses in the countryside are not held back by decades-old technology. From the first connections we provided to friends and neighbours in 2012, to now being awarded our largest government contract to date, we remain true to these core values.
“Everyone at Wessex Internet is excited we will be extending our service to thousands more people living and working in the new Dorset and South Somerset Project Gigabit area. While this is a large geographical area, it also represents an organic expansion of our existing network. This will allow us to retain the friendly local service that matters so much to our customers, to continue working in partnership with rural communities in our network build, and to provide fulfilling employment opportunities for local people.”
Construction on the new broadband infrastructure is expected to start towards the end of 2024.
In Dorset, the new contract includes villages and hamlets around Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck, and rural communities near to Dorchester, Sherborne and Beaminster.
All properties will benefit from full fibre connections, also known as Fibre to the Premise (FTTP), which means that a fibre optic cable goes all the way to a home or business, rather than stopping at a cabinet down the road.
This delivers connection speeds of up to 10Gbps, with far superior speeds and reliability compared to existing copper wiring.