Broadband upgrade begins in Dorset

Work has begun on the first major contract of the government's Project Gigabit.

The Prime Minister visited North Dorset to see the plans to connect 7,000 hard-to-reach premises under a £6 million contract awarded to Wessex Internet. The expected completion date is 2025, with the first home to be connected by the end of this year. This project covers the rural outskirts of towns, villages and hamlets.

Project Gigabit is Britan's biggest ever broadband roll out. The project aims to bring broadband to areas considered too difficult or expensive to connect under the broadband industry's commercial plans. As part of the programme, procurements have been launched to cover up to 498,000 premises across Cornwall, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria and other areas across north east England.

7 in 10 UK properties now have broadband access. The government's target is 85 per cent by 2025.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “From Sherbourne to Stirling, lightning-fast broadband is levelling up towns and villages across the country.

“In just three years we have increased the coverage of gigabit broadband from seven per cent of households to 70%, and I am proud that today more than 20 million households, businesses and organisations are able to tap into rapid and reliable internet, unleashing their potential, creating opportunities and driving growth across the country.”