Presteigne and Knighton have been named as part of a project to deliver super-fast fibre broadband to poorly connected areas in Powys.

In a statement last week, telecommunications company Openreach outlined plans to build ultrafast, ultra-reliable Full Fibre broadband to at least three million more homes and businesses in what it describes as 'some of the UK’s hardest-to-serve' communities.

In a survey conducted by utilities broker USwitch in December 2020, Knighton and Presteigne were identified as having some of the slowest internet connection speeds in the county.

The new, five-year deployment plan includes the majority of homes and business in around 1100 exchange locations - including market and coastal towns, villages and hamlets spread across the entire UK. The upgrade is proposed to include over 30,000 homes in Powys.

Clive Selley, Openreach CEO, said: "Building a new broadband network across the UK is a massive challenge and some parts of the country will inevitably require public funding. But our expanded build plan means taxpayer subsidies can be limited to only the hardest to connect homes and businesses - and we hope to see other companies step forward to build in the most rural areas too.

"This is a hugely complex, nationwide engineering project – second only to HS2 in terms of investment. It will help level-up the UK because the impact of Full Fibre broadband stretches from increased economic prosperity and international competitiveness, to higher employment and environmental benefits. "

Mark Bridgeman, President of the Country Land & Business Association which represents 28,000 farmers, land managers and rural businesses across England and Wales, said: "This announcement is a real boost for millions more rural homes who are set to benefit from faster broadband.

"The countryside has tremendous economic potential to create more jobs and attract new rural businesses, but this can’t be achieved without improved connectivity. Unlocking the digital potential of the countryside could be worth billions of pounds to the economy."