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Rural broadband ISP and alternative network builder Wessex Internet, which have built a mix of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and fixed wireless (FWA) networks across Southern England, has today announced the completion of their £6m publicly funded Project Gigabit contract for North Dorset (Lot 14.01) – extending fibre to 6,490 hard-to-reach premises.
The 3-year deployment contract, which was first awarded back in 2022, originally indicated that it would complete in 2025, and it appears as if Wessex Internet have remained true to their word on that front. The deployment first connected rural communities like Bishops Caundle in the Blackmore Vale and later expanded across Cramborne, Hazelbury Bryan and East Stour etc.
The provider also ended up deploying a total of 1,770km worth of fibre optic cables under fields, minimising roadworks and disruption to the local communities. In addition, over 200 meetings, drop-ins and events were held across the 150 rural communities that were connected to help engage, educate and support the local residents and businesses with questions about the new network.
With the largest community being only 507 residents, the network build has provided an “essential, reliable and ultra-fast broadband service to many small communities who desperately needed it“. The provider also connected over 40 local community projects within the contract area, including village halls and churches, at just £1 per month.
Wessex Internet is currently continuing to build gigabit broadband to connect rural premises across South and West Dorset, and South Somerset under 3 additional government contracts totalling £72m and the £50m recently raised from the National Wealth Fund (NWF), which will allow the business to expand this existing network of over 40,000 to approximately 140,000 rural premises.
Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO Wessex Internet, said:
“We are immensely proud to have delivered in rural Dorset — on time and to budget. This is a strong example of how government subsidy can transform communities, bringing world-class connectivity to thousands of homes and businesses that have long been overlooked. For us, the true measure of success is seeing the impact on our customers’ daily lives, and we are excited to continue this journey as we expand our network across the region.”
Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd, said:
“Today’s milestone in North Dorset shows we’re delivering the critical infrastructure our country needs. We’re building a stronger Britain where everyone, no matter where they live, can benefit from world class connectivity. Whether you’re running a farm, working from home or helping the kids with homework, lightning-fast broadband removes barriers and creates opportunities.”
Prices for their full fibre packages start at £29 per month for a 100Mbps (15Mbps upload) tier on a 12-month term, but this only comes with a meagre 100GB data allowance (faster tiers include unlimited usage), and you’ll have to pay £49 (one-off) for activation. By comparison, their top unlimited usage plan will give you 900Mbps (450Mbps upload) for £79 per month. Not cheap, but then rural areas cost more to serve.
The announcement follows shortly after GoFibre became the first network operator to complete one of their subsidised roll-out contracts under the Project Gigabit broadband rollout scheme. This related to their £7.3m contract to deploy a full fibre (FTTP) network across 3,750 hard-to-reach premises in North Northumberland (here).