DESPITE major progress being made in the rollout of superfast broadband in Dorset, further improvements can be made.

Members of Dorset County Council’s economic growth overview and scrutiny committee discussed the authority’s delivery of its digital infrastructure strategy yesterday, with input from local residents, school representatives and industry experts.

As reported, in 2013 the authority entered into a contract with BT. By the end of the contact the superfast broadband project will have helped to provide 97 per cent of premises with access to superfast broadband - at least 24Mbps (megabits).

But this means that more than 12,000 premises will remain without access to superfast broadband.

Speaking to the committee, Grant Munn from BT explained how some rural broadband ‘not spots’ can be reached by all-in-one cabinets taking fibre direct to homes.

He explained that by the end of the second contact there will be a further 4,000 superfast broadband enabled premises.

Dugald Lockhart, Superfast Dorset project lead described the rollout as a “mammoth task” but was pleased that plans for Dorset are ahead of the national targets.

He said: “We are now trying to tackle the three per cent problem.

“But if we carry on with the same work that we are doing at the moment we can continue to nibble away at the problem.”

In efforts to reach the more rural areas Mr Lockhart explained more work needs to be undertaken with existing infrastructure providers, both large and small, existing contacts need to be expanded and that there is great scope to expand community-led broadband schemes.

He added: “We are doing this primarily to provide economic growth and bring new opportunities to both communities and individuals in Dorset.”

Kimmeridge resident Stephen Earwicker spoke to the committee about importance of broadband and what it has meant to his village.

He said: “I moved to Kimmeridge 11 years ago. I was a doctor in the NHS. I was expected to work from home, respond to emails and documents. It was then that we noticed a problem with the broadband. We eventually got there and it has made the world of difference.”

Mr Earwicker explained that he pays £39 a month for 30 Mbps.

However the problem of the complete lack of mobile phone signal in the area was raised.

Two year nine students of the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester also attended the meeting. The students, who live in Moreton and Piddlehinton, explained how there is no wifi connection where they live causing problems with the homework which is now mainly online based.

Jonathan Dean, assistant head at Thomas Hardye said: “There’s an assumption all students have connection but it’s not true.”

It was agreed that an update on the superfast broadband scheme will come back to the committee in two meetings time as well as a report on mobile phone reception in the county.