- $68 million capital injection from the UK’s National Wealth Fund, alongside a $91 million Project Gigabit subsidy, will expand full-fibre coverage across rural areas of England from approximately 40,000 to roughly 137,000 premises.
- Rural-first deployment model works closely with farmers and local communities across southern England, making connectivity both commercially viable and socially valuable.
What happened: Wessex Internet gets $68M to connect England’s countryside
On 23 June 2025, the UK’s National Wealth Fund announced a $68 million investment into Wessex Internet, a family founded broadband operator based in England. The company, active since 2010, operates across the rural counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire in England, providing full-fibre connections to hard-to-reach areas that larger operators have long overlooked. In conjunction with a $91 million subsidy from Project Gigabit, a UK Government programme, this new funding will enable Wessex Internet to expand its full-fibre network from roughly 40,000 rural premises to approximately 137,000 across southern England.
A distinctive feature of Wessex Internet’s approach is its close collaboration with farmers and landowners across rural England. By ploughing cables across farmland, it delivers broadband cost-effectively to communities that have long struggled with unreliable connections.
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Why it’s important
This investment underscores the growing significance of rural broadband infrastructure for the economic and social well-being of England. It shows how public and private capital can unite to benefit rural communities long overlooked by traditional broadband giants. In an era when many smaller broadband firms are consolidating, Wessex Internet is proving how a rural-first approach can be both commercially sustainable and socially valuable.
The benefits are already being felt. In Shaftesbury, England, a voiceover professional can now work globally thanks to a full-fibre connection. Meanwhile, in Shillingstone, England, volunteers managing a community garden can operate online seamlessly for the first time. These examples highlight the transformative power of connectivity.
More broadly, this partnership between the UK Government’s National Wealth Fund, Project Gigabit, and a rural-focused broadband operator like Wessex Internet could serve as a model for tackling the digital divide across England — and potentially beyond.
