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More than half-a-million homes in rural areas of England are to get access to faster broadband. With some 567,000 properties in parts of Cheshire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Essex, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and North Yorkshire are in line for the boost.

Equivalent to 1,000 megabits per second, the upgraded service means users will be able to download HD movies in less than 30 seconds. This is all part of the government’s £5bn gigabit rollout.

The investment is part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s target of achieving at least 85% gigabit-capable UK coverage by 2025, which officials say is “on track”.  Currently, the UK has an estimated 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.”