New Forest businesses to receive broadband boost

Thousands of premises and properties in rural parts of Southern England’s New Forest and its surrounding area are set to enjoy a major upgrade to available broadband services.

Homes and business customers alike will now be able to access high-speed full-fibre broadband following completion of a new government contract achieved by Wessex Internet.

The contract is valued at close to £14m and will last for a three-year term as part the government’s £5bn investment called “Project Gigabit”. The initiative was created with the ambition of providing lightning-fast and gigabit-capable broadband for remote communities throughout the UK. Businesses based in rural areas of Britain are well-known for having trouble accessing dependable and affordable broadband services, which now play a vital role in how every modern enterprise operates.

Minister for Digital Infrastructure Julia Lopez commented:

“Thousands of hard-to-reach homes and businesses in this stunning area will benefit from a state-of-the-art network ready to provide the speed and reliability we will all need in the decades ahead.”

Now new plans will see Wessex Internet’s new fibre-optic network rolled out to a lengthy list of communities based in and around the New Forest like Brockenhurst, Beaulieu, Burley, Godshill, Sway, and Hordle transforming available broadband speeds and dependability for local businesses and residents.

Wessex Internet will now work closely with the Verderers of the New Forest and Forestry England throughout its three-year contract of work. The project to begin construction of the new network in the first New Forest communities is expected to commence by the end of 2023, with businesses in the area set to access lightning-fast broadband by February 2024.