A ROLL-OUT of superfast broadband, which will reach 90 per cent of homes and businesses in Hampshire, should be complete by the end of next year.

More than 14,500 premises in Hampshire, which would otherwise miss out on faster internet speeds, now have access to the Superfast Broad-band Programme, which is costing £13.8million to implement county-wide.

Plans are also in place to reach even more Hampshire premises, with a joint £18.4m investment from Government and Hampshire County Council to extend superfast coverage to at least 95 per cent of premises by the end of 2017.

The county-wide roll-out is a key part of the council’s plan to provide faster broadband in areas the private sector might not otherwise reach.

Hampshire County Council leader Councillor Roy Perry said: “With 60 live cabinets in the county already offering superfast broadband services, Hampshire is firmly on track to help deliver access to superfast broadband to 95 per cent of homes and businesses across the county, which are not currently being covered by the commercial market.

“Focus is now moving towards the ‘final five per cent’ – those areas in the most remote and hardest-to-reach places in Hampshire that are not covered by existing plans.”

For more information about the broadband programme in Hampshire, visit hampshiresuperfastbroadband.com.