A rural broadband firm is working with a Cumbrian MP to roll out gigabit broadband on Walney Island.
Voneus was asked by Barrow and Furness MP Simon Fell to look into a solution for the people of Walney Island, thanks to its expertise in using existing infrastructures to form a wireless broadband network.
Now residents will be able to switch by the summer.
Mr Fell said: “I first met Voneus as part of their work on the Solway Coast and I explained the challenges we’ve faced in bringing ultrafast broadband to Walney Island, which is frankly baffling given that over 10,000 people call it home.
“Thankfully, Voneus agreed to look into a solution for my constituents and I’m delighted we’ve been able to work with them to make it a reality. I wrote to all the residents of Walney and the result of the survey was clear people wanted and needed better broadband.
“I look forward to working with Voneus to get this service rolled out and speaking to local residents about the benefits they are seeing once it is.”
Mr Fell and Voneus are hosting a drop-in session at Walney High School’s Innovation Centre on May 17 from 2pm to 5pm.
John Richardson, headteacher, said: “When Voneus approached us to ask if our school would like to play a part in helping to bring gigabit broadband to the community we were delighted.
“As a central part of the local community, we want to do all we can to support high speed online access which will help our students and their families access online learning both within school and at home.”
