Cornwall rural homes to get ultra-fast broadband upgrade

Up to 19,250 homes and businesses will be connected said the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Thousands of rural Cornwall homes and businesses are in line for ultra-fast broadband connections, the government has announced.

Local provider Wildanet has been awarded £36m to roll out the gigabit-capable fibre network.

Up to 19,250 homes and businesses will be connected, said the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).

The contract is part of the nationwide £5bn Project Gigabit and building work is set to begin this summer.

Digital infrastructure minister, Julia Lopez, told BBC News: "Cornwall is actually one of the first places in the UK to benefit from the programme.

"The geography is complicated so we think we need to give it extra special attention, so that people won't be left out."

She said the upgrade would "generate growth and opportunity" and ensure Cornwall benefits from "all the future technologies that are going to transform our lives in the next five to 10 years".

Liskeard-based Wildanet expects to create 200 jobs as a result of the contracts.

Ms Lopez said: "It's a great Cornish company, so we want to not only benefit Cornish people with the connections, but also bring lots of jobs to the area."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].