Dorset Council is marking the end of its broadband rollout which has seen £5.3m returned to the county as part of a ‘cash back’ deal with Openreach.
Over 85,000 premises have been connected to super and ultra-fast broadband following an 11 year, £23.6m investment.
Among the many businesses and residents to benefit is The Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life in Kimmeridge, made world-famous by David Attenborough and its sea monster discovery.
And it’s thanks to its new gigabit-capable full fibre broadband that Etches was able to cope with the ten-fold increase in visitors it experienced in 2024.
As Operations Director Carla Crook explained: “When we opened in 2016, there was only dial-up internet in the village which was so slow it would take 4 hours to upload a YouTube video.
“We did find a solution by employing a specialist company to erect a mast on the hill that could pick up broadband signals from Portland.
“The mast provided good speeds but there was a problem. Every time the military carried out an operation in the bay, the warships would block the signal and our internet would crash.
“This would happen at least two times a week and would mean our card machines and computers would stop working and if customers did not have cash, we’d have to turn them away.”
“As soon as our previous broadband contract enabled us to, we switched to the full fibre service,” Carla said.
“And it was fortunate that we did because not long afterwards the David Attenborough programme about our Pliosaur skull discovery hit the airwaves and our visitor numbers rocketed.”
Etches Museum saw its visitor numbers hit 11,000 in January 2024 alone after the programme aired, more than 10 times their usual figures. Altogether, the museum welcomed nearly 70,000 visitors last year.
Dorset Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth, Cllr Richard Biggs, said: “I am incredibly proud of the success of our broadband rollouts and the impact they have had on boosting the economy and improving people’s lives.
“We know there are still areas of our county that need better connectivity, and we continue to work with central government to help make that happen.”