Wessex Internet has entered the construction stage of its five-year government contract to bring high-speed broadband to rural areas of South and West Dorset and South Somerset.

With design and planning now finalised, engineers are laying the first fibre cables in the village of Halstock.

By the end of the £33.5 million contract, they will have connected 21,400 homes and business in the region – including in Swanage, Dorchester, Sherborne and Beaminster.

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO of Wessex Internet, said: “We’re delighted to have started the construction phase of our fourth Project Gigabit contract, which will benefit thousands of residents and businesses in rural Dorset and Somerset.

“This follows the start of construction for our South Wiltshire contract a few weeks ago and demonstrates the commitment and hard work of our teams to rapidly progress the delivery of these vital infrastructure projects.

“For too long, rural communities have had to make do with outdated, unreliable internet connections.

“This rollout of full fibre broadband represents a great leap in digital infrastructure that will support local residents and rural economies for years to come.”

Project Gigabit is a government initiative to bring full-fibre connectivity to hard-to-reach places across the country.

Telecoms minister, Sir Chris Bryant, added: “Dorset and Somerset are the latest regions to see spades in the ground, laying fibre that will deliver the fastest internet speeds on the market thanks to our nationwide rollout of Project Gigabit.

“The upgrades will help put an end to buffering broadband in hard-to-reach rural communities and support our mission to kickstart economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity.

“We’re on track to keep plugging digital gaps and achieve nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030.”

• wessexinternet.com