Wessex Internet Bring FTTP Broadband to 16 Rural Villages in Q2 2024

Rural UK ISP Wessex Internet, which is rolling out a gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across remote parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Somerset in England, has listed the latest batch of 16 communities to be added to their live network coverage between April and June 2024 (Q2).

The provider’s existing footprint is vaguely said to cover “tens of thousands of homes” (some of this may include their old fixed wireless network), while their current business plan targets an “additional” 150,000 premises by 2027 through a combination of both subsidised and unsubsidised capital investment.

The latest update names the 16 villages and other rural communities in Dorset, Somerset and Hampshire that were connected to their new full fibre network between April and June 2024. During this period, the Dorset-based rural ISP has grown to more than 300 employees and was also named the ‘Best Rural Enterprise’ in the UK at the annual 2024 Countryside Alliance Awards.

Wessex Internet’s 16 New Fibre Locations (Live)

In Dorset:

• Child Okeford
• Gussage St Michael
• Hazelbury Bryan
• Holwell
• Mappowder & Pleck Hill
• Marnhull
• Stourton Caundle
• Tadnoll

In Somerset:

• Dimmer & Blackworthy
• Lovington
• Lytes Cary
• Podimore
• Somerton
• Yeovilton
• Welham

In Hampshire:

• Damerham

Gavin Davies, Chief Operations Officer at Wessex Internet, said:

“Our network build has continued apace, as we bring reliable, ultrafast broadband to even more rural communities. We’ve reached an important milestone in now employing 300 staff to help reach homes and businesses in the countryside as efficiently as possible, but we’re not stopping here!

We will be continuing to grow our teams over the next few months, including at our new base in Codford, as we fulfil our plans to deliver full fibre internet to rural areas across Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.”

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 (£44 for unlimited), and you’ll have to pay £49 (one-off) for activation. By comparison, their top unlimited usage plan will give 900Mbps (450Mbps upload) for £79 per month, which isn’t cheap but then they’re often the only FTTP choice in a lot of their locations (rural areas cost a lot more to serve too).