Wessex Internet Build FTTH to More of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire

Alternative rural network ISP Wessex Internet appears to be making good use of the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) and are using the investment to help grow their Gigabit capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network into more villages around Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.

The provider tends to operate both a 1Gbps capable “full fibre” network and a fibre optic fuelled superfast Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) network when serving rural homes and businesses, although lately they’ve become much more focused upon the fibre side of things.

Overall Wessex Internet is currently home to over 500km of cable buried across the Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire (plus a little of Hampshire) countryside, which is used to both connect up some 150 wireless masts and to serve over 300 customers with direct FTTP.

Some of the latest areas to go live on “full fibre” have included the hamlets of Cripplestyle, Broxhill, Crendell and surrounding areas (East Dorset). Meanwhile a number of GBVS linked deployments are also currently taking place to cover Lytchett Matravers (Dorset), Alvediston (Wiltshire) and Cucklington (Somerset).

After that it looks like the ISP also has a plan to reach Southmarsh (Somerset) and, if enough demand can be found, then they may deploy into South Cheselbourne (Dorset) and Pen Selwood (Somerset).

Wessex Internet’s Website Statement

Our community fibre schemes are designed for villages, hamlets and areas where traditional copper cables (provided by Openreach) perform poorly due to the long distances from BT’s green cabinets or where our wireless broadband proves difficult to implement due to a lack of line of sight.

The government’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) are currently providing grants to small businesses and their surrounding residents to fund installations of fibre to the home in the form of a “Gigabit Voucher”. As a preferred partner, Wessex Internet are implementing schemes to provide ultrafast, future proofed fibre optic broadband to many areas across our coverage region.

If you’re stuck with broadband that feels more like dial-up from the 1990’s and live within our coverage area, please register your interest by clicking here and filling out a short form.

As usual the roll-out won’t end with this and we understand that the provider is actively trying to gauge demand for similar deployments into Pentridge, Barrow, Mappowder, Ibberton, Lasham, Lower Chicksgrove, Herriard, Southrope & Bagmore. Long may it continue.

Prices for their full fibre service typically start at £35 per month for a 100Mbps (10Mbps upload) tier, although this only comes with a 100GB data allowance and you’ll have to pay £59 for unlimited usage and faster uploads. The top home plan currently goes up to £75 for a download speed of 350Mbps but the network itself is Gigabit capable.