Thousands of rural New Forest properties and businesses in Brockenhurst, Burley, Beaulieu, Godshill, Hordle and Sway to benefit from 'lightning fast' high-speed broadband roll-out thanks to Wessex Internet and Project Gigabit

THOUSANDS of rural properties and businesses across the New Forest are to benefit from a government-funded project to roll-out high-speed broadband.

Provider Wessex Internet has won a £14m government-funded three-year contract dubbed Project Gigabit which aims to reach hard-to-reach communities across the UK.

Locally it will be rolled out in Brockenhurst, Burley, Beaulieu, Godshill, Hordle and Sway, transforming broadband speeds and reliability to around 10,500 homes and businesses.

Digital infrastructure minister Julia Lopez said: "Thanks to this latest multi-million pound contract for the New Forest, 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.

"The prime minister has put growing the economy as one of his five top priorities and this investment will go far in delivering on that mission here in the New Forest by equipping rural areas with the infrastructure they need for the digital age."

Wessex Internet says it will work closely with Forestry England and the verderers throughout the programme of work and expects to start network construction in the first communities by the end of this year.

A spokesperson for Forestry England said: "We very much look forward to supporting Wessex Internet’s delivery of ultrafast full fibre broadband on sensitive land managed by Forestry England over the next few years and hope this will have a positive impact on many residents across the New Forest."

The first properties could be connected as early as February 2024.