NINE out of 10 homes and businesses in Dorset can now get superfast broadband.

The £37million Superfast Dorset partnership is extending the coverage already in place through the private sector roll out and has now provided over 67,000 homes and businesses throughout the county with access to superfast broadband.

The milestone achieved by the programme has already smashed the target set by BDUK (Broadband Delivery UK) of achieving 90 per cent coverage by May 2016.

More superfast broadband connections mean that there are as many opportunities for digital business in Dorset as anywhere else in the country.

Ian Faulkner, Chairman of the Wimborne BID, said: “UK online retailers took over £50billion in 2015. If used well, a fast and reliable internet connection can open up a business to new markets that may not have been reached by conventional methods before."

“This allows a business to stimulate demand for its products in the international market as well as home.

Superfast broadband at home enables users to stream their favourite TV shows and video call without the dreaded buffer wheel.

Becka Soliveres, the proud owner of a 38Mbps connection at her home in Moor Crichel, said: “Everything online is loading really fast now and runs without freezing all of the time.

“Faster speeds mean that my eldest daughter can be doing her college work at the same time that I’m watching a film with my husband and the children are playing games on the tablets.”

For the remaining ten per cent, Superfast Dorset will continue to work to facilitate broadband solutions to the harder to reach corners of the county.

This year, even more premises will be connected to the fibre network, bringing the total to around 95 per cent – well ahead of the Government’s target to reach this level nationally by 2017. And plans will soon be finalised to push this even further next year.

The number of households and businesses in Dorset with access to superfast broadband increases week by week.

To check if you can get it go to www.dorsetforyou.com/superfast, where you can also sign up for regular updates from the project and receive an email when fibre is available.