Thousands of Hampshire homes set for super quick internet

It comes as part of a £7.8m extension to the Hampshire Superfast Broadband scheme.

County council leader Councillor Roy Perry approved plans to extend superfast speeds of 24 megabits per second (Mbps) to 97.4 per cent of properties by 2019.

He said: ‘This is vital investment to ensure businesses and families continue to thrive in today’s digital world, particularly in harder-to-reach, rural parts of the county which make up the remaining few per cent.

‘As a council, we do not have any statutory obligations to increase access to superfast broadband – that rests with the government. But we recognise this infrastructure is crucial for the future prosperity of the county which is why we’re continuing to invest in this technology with our partners, such as BT, to support the local economy, help pupils with education and homework, and reduce social isolation by making it easier for people to communicate online.’