Thousands of rural homes in south Wiltshire to get broadband upgrade

Rural parts of south Wiltshire are to get high speed internet connection

Thousands of rural properties in south Wiltshire are to benefit from a major broadband upgrade.

Wessex Internet has won £18 million of government funding to expand its existing network to around 14,500 homes and businesses across Salisbury Plain.

It is part of Project Gigabit, the government's £5 billion project to extend digital connectivity in hard-to-reach areas.

The first properties are expected to be connected by the end of this year.

Data and Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: "Our record-breaking rollout of gigabit broadband is a game changer.

"It will bring lightning-fast connectivity to the most remote locations previously stuck in the digital slow lane."

All properties will benefit from connection speeds of up to 10Gbps

Superior speeds

All properties will benefit from full fibre connections, also known as Fibre to the Premise (FTTP), with the fibre optic cable going all the way to the home or business, not just stopping at the cabinet down the road.

This delivers connection speeds of up to 10Gbps, with far superior speeds and reliability compared to existing copper networks.

The upgrade will cover the Wylye Valley connecting villages surrounding Amesbury to the east and going as far north as Chisbury and Little Bedwyn.

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO at Wessex Internet, said: "From entertainment to education, fast, reliable broadband is essential to modern living, and those living and working in rural communities should not be left behind."

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Cllr Ashley O'Neill, Cabinet Member for Broadband at Wiltshire Council, said: "One of our key priorities is to have well-connected communities.

"We look forward to working with Wessex Internet to achieve a successful rollout of this scheme and seeing the real difference it can make to people's lives."

Wessex Internet has already rolled out its full fibre infrastructure to more than 3,000 properties in Wiltshire in communities including East Knoyle and West Knoyle, Donhead St Andrew, Fisherton De La Mere and Corton.

Construction in this latest contract is due to start in September 2024 and the first properties are expected to be connected by the end of this year.