THOUSANDS of homes across Hampshire, including Fordingbridge and Ringwood, will be able to get access to “hyperfast” broadband as part of a £125 million investment.

The investment is by Giganet, an internet service provider (ISP), which started its network build in the summer of this year, which aims to connect properties in phases over the next 18 months.

More than 114,500 homes across the county including Fordingbridge and Ringwood as well as Tadley, Totton, Marchwood, Winchester, Hythe, Fawley, Ringwood, Emsworth, Eastleigh can soon expect to be up to speed with full fibre.

In Fordingbridge, where work is currently underway, 5,000 homes will be able to access the network with a further 7,500 in Ringwood.

Works to enable to fibre service are expected to start in Ringwood in the coming weeks.

Giganet’s build plans have been backed by £250 million of private investment, £125 million of which has been earmarked specifically for Hampshire.

However, the ISP is warning the local community that there will be some level of disruption as they start connecting streets to full fibre services.

The company says it is working with local authorities and community groups, including Hampshire County Council, to provide residents with the most up-to-date information on the status of the build and any potential roadworks.

Chief network build officer at Giganet, Kevin Barry said: “This is an exciting chapter for Giganet as we bring Hampshire’s smaller communities up to speed with full fibre services. Over the last few years there’s been a surge in demand for faster, more reliable broadband. For us this also means providing customers with an offering that’s grounded in honesty and simplicity – from flexible contracts to no exit fees.

“While we can expect some short-term disruption from the build, this will benefit the local area tremendously in the long-term. Large or small, we’re connecting communities and making sure that no one is left behind.”

Gridworx is the build partner in Hythe and Fawley, while STL is covering Winchester and Tadley. Fibre First is the build partner in Totton and Marchwood, GE Services in Eastleigh and Fordingbridge, 4 Site Fibre in Ringwood and Future Network Inc in Emsworth. The overall project is expected to reach completion in 2024 but the first services will go live much sooner.

More than 500 jobs are expected to be created in the process.

Full fibre networks use 100 per cent fibre optic cables to carry data all the way from the exchange to the home.