Homes and businesses in rural Dorset are set to receive faster broadband as work begins on the first major broadband upgrade under the £5bn Project Gigabit.

Work has begun on a £6m contract awarded by the Government to Wessex Internet to connect 7,000 hard-to-reach premises in North Dorset.

The first home will be connected by the end of the year, with an expected completion date for all by 2025.

Cllr Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Corporate Development and Transformation, said: ‘This significant government investment in Dorset is great news for communities and businesses that would otherwise have been left behind as the country moves to gigabit-capable broadband.

‘Good broadband connection has never been more important as we rebuild the economy after the pandemic.

‘We look forward to working with Wessex Internet and the government on this exciting development in technology, which will greatly benefit some of the most rural parts of our county.’

Project Gigabit is a Government scheme to bring the fastest, most reliable broadband to areas considered too difficult or expensive to connect under the broadband industry’s commercial plans.

As part of the programme, the Government has launched procurements totalling over £690m aiming to cover up to 498,000 premises, with work due to begin to connect hard-to-reach areas in Cornwall, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, and several areas across north east England before the end of the year.

The start of work in North Dorset comes as the website ThinkBroadband reveals that seven in 10 UK properties can access gigabit broadband.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: ‘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.’

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO of Wessex Internet, said: ‘We’re thrilled to have been awarded the first contract under the government’s £5bn Project Gigabit programme.

‘As a business based in North Dorset, our priority has always been to bring fast, reliable broadband to rural communities overlooked by other providers. We believe passionately that rural areas must have access to gigabit-capable connectivity and the exciting benefits it brings for homes, businesses and communities.

‘Over the last four years, we have connected thousands of homes and businesses across the South West to full fibre broadband and are excited to accelerate our roll out further with this new contract.’