More than 1,500 businesses and homes in Kingsclere will soon be connected to full-fibre broadband, courtesy of Gigaclear, an ultrafast broadband provider. 

The project is part of an £18m investment in underserved rural communities in Hampshire, with 21.8 per cent of the county’s total population living in areas classified as rural. 

Work in the village begins this month, with completion set for Spring 2024, however, some residents will receive access as early as this November.

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Delivery director Ben Woods said: “There are many great benefits to living in rural communities such as Kingsclere but having access to the fastest broadband speeds is not always something people expect. People living in towns and cities, on average, enjoy much faster speeds than people in rural locations and Ofcom says that divide is growing.

“However, Gigaclear's mission is to address this gap and bring full fibre faster speeds to residents in rural villages and towns so they’re able to work from home, stream online entertainment, scroll and gameplay just like everyone else.”

Gigaclear aims to minimise disruption for residents whenever possible by utilising existing Openreach ducts and poles. 

For more information about the engineering works, visit Gigaclear’s website at gigaclear.com.