Wessex Internet complete North Dorset milestone

Wessex Internet, a rural broadband specialist, has completed its publicly funded Project Gigabit rollout in rural North Dorset, providing a huge connectivity boost to the region's most remote areas.

Under the contract, awarded in August 2022, Wessex Internet has built an ultra-fast full fibre network to 6,490 hard-to-reach premises. This is a huge step forwards to support rural communities access fast, reliable and gigabit-capable broadband, which are often neglected by larger suppliers,

The rollout was funded through Project Gigabit, the UK government’s programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. It targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ commercial plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds.

Wessex Internet was the first provider to win a Project Gigabit contract following a competitive tender process - the £6 million, 3-year project was completed on time and to budget and is among the first Project Gigabit contracts in the UK to be completed, and the largest to date.

Known for their ‘community first’ approach to rural delivery, Wessex Internet made unrivalled progress in expanding their network across the North Dorset contract area – first connecting Bishops Caundle in the Blackmore Vale and expanding across Cramborne, Hazelbury Bryan and East Stour.

They worked closely with landowners and farmers to prioritise a sustainable approach that used specialist rural build techniques to lay the required 1,770km of cables under fields, minimising roadworks and disruption to the community. In addition, over 200 meetings, drop-ins and events were held across the 150 rural communities that were connected to engage, educate and support the local residents and businesses with questions and a switch to full-fibre broadband. With the largest community being only 507 residents, the network build provided an essential, reliable and ultra-fast broadband service to many small communities who desperately needed it.

The heart of Wessex Internet is the communities they serve and under their Community Hub initiative they have connected over 40 local community projects within the contract area including village halls and churches at just £1 per month – in order to support causes that bring people together.

As well as the successful delivery of this contract, Wessex Internet is continuing to build gigabit-capable full fibre broadband to connect rural homes and businesses across South and West Dorset, and South Somerset under 3 additional government contracts totalling £72 million and the £50 million recently raised from the National Wealth Fund (NWF) which will allow the business to expand this existing network of over 40,000 to approximately 140,000 rural premises.

Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd said:

“Today's milestone in North Dorset shows we're delivering the critical infrastructure our country needs. We’re building a stronger Britain where everyone, no matter where they live, can benefit from world class connectivity. Whether you're running a farm, working from home or helping the kids with homework, lightning-fast broadband removes barriers and creates opportunities.”

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO Wessex Internet said:

"We are immensely proud to have delivered in rural Dorset — on time and to budget. This is a strong example of how government subsidy can transform communities, bringing world-class connectivity to thousands of homes and businesses that have long been overlooked. For us, the true measure of success is seeing the impact on our customers’ daily lives, and we are excited to continue this journey as we expand our network across the region."

About Project Gigabit

Project Gigabit is a government-funded programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. It targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ commercial plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds.
The connections delivered by Project Gigabit will benefit rural and remote communities, as well as tackling pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas. Project Gigabit is crucial to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and kickstart economic growth across the country.

Having the fastest, most reliable broadband means households no longer having to battle over bandwidth, and gives people the freedom to live and work more flexibly. Project Gigabit is driving productivity across British businesses, as well as in our schools, hospitals and other public services so they can deliver better outcomes for taxpayers.

Gigabit broadband can provide speeds of more than 1,000 megabits per second, more than thirty times faster than copper-based superfast broadband, which is currently available to 97 per cent of UK premises. While superfast is fast enough for most people’s needs today, gigabit-capable connections will provide the speeds and reliability Britain needs for decades into the future.

Entire families will be able stream movies, TV and video games in high quality 4K and 8K definition onto multiple devices at the same time with no slowdowns in speed. It will underpin revolutionary new technologies such as Virtual and Augmented Reality and more internet-connected appliances in the home and the workplace to make our lives easier and more productive. It will make rural communities more attractive places to settle and raise families with the freedom to live more flexibly, and it will enable anyone to start-up and run a business of any size from even the most remote areas of the UK.