Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring 2025 report shows that thousands of rural Dorset homes and Businesses are waiting for the fastest broadband internet available elsewhere in the county.
Fast and reliable broadband internet is usually achieved through a full fibre connection (FFTP) where fibre-optic cables run from the network provider to a property.
Ofcom’s report reveals 77% of properties in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) have access to full fibre broadband. Across rural Dorset the figure drops to 67%.
For gigabit-capable networks the gap is even starker, with 90% of BCP premises achieving internet speeds of up to a gigabit per-second, compared to just 69% in the rest of the county, with figures in areas such as Lyme Regis as low as 57%.
Whilst the BCP outperforms the national average of 74% FFTP and 86% gigabit access, rural Dorset trails it in both categories, underlining the uneven rollout between rural and urban communities.
Dorset Cllr Jane Hayes said: “The vision for Dorset is that in this increasingly digital modern world no place, no community, no individual will be left behind”.
Since Ofcom’s 2024 report BCP premises have seen a 6% increase in FFTP access and almost 2% in gigabit availability, whilst rural Dorset saw less than a 1% increase in either metric.
Although only 0.2% of Dorset premises are unable to meet the universal service obligation and 97% achieve 30Mbps, many areas such as Dorchester and Purbeck still depend on older copper lines that struggle to reliably support online services, remote work, and businesses.
Dorset Council’s Digital Infrastructure and Inclusion Strategy aim for Dorset to be a “digital place with connected communities and opportunities for all” by 2030.
Government funded Project Gigabit, will extend full fibre broadband to 21,400 rural homes and businesses across south and west Dorset and parts of south Somerset, targeting nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030.
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