THOUSANDS of people in South Gloucestershire are set to benefit from an ongoing rollout of ultrafast fibre broadband.

The new BT service will be provided to even more towns and villages in the region following a successful bid by South Gloucestershire Council for funding totalling £3million. 

The investment will bring ultrafast and Next Generation Access broadband to approximately 4,300 homes and businesses in South Gloucestershire by the end of 2018.

Communities to benefit in the latest phase of the programme include some rural areas not previously covered by the rollout and remaining communities from the previous two phases.

These include: Almondsbury, Alveston, Aust, Bitton, Bromley Heath, Cold Ashton, Cromhall, Dodington, Downend, Doynton, Falfield,  Frampton Cotterell, Hanham Abbots, Hanham, Hawkesbury, Horton, Iron Acton, Kingswood, Marshfield, Olveston, Patchway, Pilning, Severn Beach, Pucklechurch, Rangeworthy, Rockhampton, Soundwell, Siston, Sodbury, Tormarton, Tortworth,  Westerleigh, Wick, Abson, Wickwar, Winterbourne and Yate.

All areas are subject to the standard survey and planning work which will need to be carried out.

Cllr John Goddard, Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources, said: “So far, more than 20,000 homes and businesses have been able to access fibre broadband as part of our rollout across South Gloucestershire.

“We have always said that we are committed to providing an improved broadband service to as much of the district as possible and this latest investment could see up to 99 per cent of premises covered when combined with the commercial programme."

Work to provide the service will start later this year with more information on when communities will be able to benefit from the final phase of the rollout publicised in due course.

For more information about broadband in South Gloucestershire visit www.southglos.gov.uk/broadband