Gigabit broadband: half a million rural homes to get a boost

More than half a million homes in rural England need access to faster broadband.

Approximately 567,000 properties in parts of Cheshire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Essex, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire are lining up for the push.

Equivalent to 1,000 megabits per second, users will be able to download HD movies in less than 30 seconds.

It is part of the government’s £ 5 billion gigabit launch.

The investment is part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s goal of achieving at least 85% coverage of the UK with gigabit capacity by 2025, which officials say is “well advanced”.

At the moment, according to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the UK has 57% coverage, up from less than 6% in 2019.

“The latest phase of our £ 5 billion Project Gigabit plan will help hard-to-reach homes and businesses get out of the slow broadband lane and connect them to the fastest and most reliable connections available,” said digital secretary Nadine Dorries.

“This investment is leveling up: building new Internet connections in our rural communities so that people have the speed, reliability and freedom to live and work flexibly and take advantage of new technologies.”