Swindon & Wiltshire News
Wessex Internet opens new Wiltshire hub to roll out £18.8 million ultrafast broadband scheme
Internet service provider Wessex Internet has opened a new base in Wiltshire as it expands its ultrafast broadband network to reach more people in South Wiltshire.
The civil engineering yard at Codford, between Warminster and Salisbury, will employ 15 people including ploughing and drilling teams who will build the fibre cable network, engineers who are qualified to work with overhead and underground cables, surveyors, and planners.
The new yard joins existing bases near Yeovil in Somerset and Ringwood in Hampshire, and the company’s headquarters near Blandford Forum in Dorset.
The new staff are needed to help the company deliver a new £18.8 million contract, awarded by the government this year, which will see 14,500 additional homes and businesses in South Wiltshire connected to ultrafast internet.
Ed Carter, Wiltshire project manager for Wessex Internet, said: “Since being awarded this contract in March, our teams have been working hard to plan the best way to bring ultrafast broadband to rural and presently underserved communities across South Wiltshire.
“This is a five-year project, so the roll-out will reach areas at different stages.
“However, we’ve now reached the exciting stage of being ready to start the network build in September, meaning we’re looking for colleagues to join our team at a new base in Codford. We are looking for people with a background in utilities, construction, telecoms, agriculture, or the military.
“Our innovative approach to building in the countryside requires people who know how to develop understanding with local communities and landowners, and who show respect and care for the landscape in which they work.”
The new team will help expand Wessex Internet’s existing network in the Wylye Valley, building across the Salisbury Plain, connecting villages surrounding Amesbury to the east, and reaching as far north as Chisbury and Little Bedwyn.
The company has already rolled out its infrastructure to more than 3,000 properties in Wiltshire in areas such as East Knoyle and West Knoyle, Donhead St Andrew, Fisherton De La Mere and Corton.
All properties will benefit from full fibre connections, also known as Fibre to the Premise (FTTP), which means a fibre optic cable goes all the way to a home or business, rather than stopping at a cabinet down the road. This delivers far superior speeds and reliability compared to copper or partial fibre networks.
