MORE than 10,000 homes are set to benefit from new high-speed full fibre broadband thanks to a major cash injection.

Wessex Internet has won the government-funded Project Gigabit contract to roll out lightning-fast connectivity to around 10,500 homes and businesses in the New Forest.

The three-year deal is worth nearly £14 million and provides broadband to hard-to-reach communities across the UK.

Wessex Internet’s fibre optic network will be rolled out to communities around the New Forest including Brockenhurst, Burley, Beaulieu, Godshill, Hordle and Sway, transforming broadband speeds and reliability for local residents and businesses.

The firm will work with Forestry England and the Verderers of the New Forest and expects to start network construction by the end of this year.

The first properties could be connected as early as February 2024.

Digital infrastructure minister Julia Lopez said: “The Prime Minister has put growing the economy as one of his five top priorities, and this investment will go far in delivering on that mission here in the New Forest by equipping rural areas with the infrastructure they need for the digital age.”

Hector Gibson Fleming, CEO at Wessex Internet, added: “We will now work closely with the residents and communities across this beautiful national park to deliver this exciting programme.”