More than half a million more homes in rural areas of England are to gain access to faster broadband as the Government continues its £5billion gigabit rollout.
Some 567,000 properties in remote parts of Cheshire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Essex, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire are in line for the gigabit speed boost, which is the equivalent to 1,000 megabits per second.
Such speeds make it possible for a user to download an HD movie in less than 30 seconds.
The investment is part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s target of achieving at least 85% gigabit-capable UK coverage by 2025, which officials have said is “on track” to be met.
At present, the UK has 57% coverage, up from less than 6% in 2019, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
“The latest stage of our £5bn Project Gigabit plan will help hard-to-reach homes and businesses out of the broadband slow lane and plug them into the fastest and most reliable connections available,” said Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries.
“This investment is levelling up in action – building new internet connections in our rural communities so people have the speed, reliability and freedom to live and work flexibly, and take advantage of new technologies.”
In Scotland, 3,600 homes across Aberdeenshire, Angus, the Highlands, Moray and Perth & Kinross will get much faster gigabit speeds following an £8 million cash injection announced by the Chancellor in Wednesday’s budget.
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