Rural homes and businesses in Oxfordshire are set to get the fastest broadband speeds on the market, as part of the £5 billion plan to level up internet access across the UK.

New details published today reveal 1,850,000 homes and businesses across 26 English counties will get access to gigabit speed internet, including Oxfordshire.

The Project Gigabit fund aims to upgrade digital infrastructure in ‘hard-to-reach areas’ with hopes it will accelerate the country’s recovery from Covid-19.

As part of Phase 2 of the Government’s Project Gigabit fund, 68,600 homes and businesses in Oxfordshire and West Berkshire will benefit from the high-speed internet.

The Government is expected to invest between £67 million and £114 million in the county, with work beginning in April 2023.

Data from the FairInternetReport shows residents in Oxfordshire currently have average broadband speeds ranging from 33.98 to 103.73 megabits per second (Mbps).

In the county, Wheatley was the area with the fastest internet – with a typical speed range of 106.59 to 199.49 Mbps – whilst Watlington was the slowest at just 9.27 to 45.26 Mbps.

FairInternetReport classifies very slow internet as under 10 Mbps, slow as 10-30 Mbps, adequate as 30-60 Mbps, good as 60-80 Mbps, fast as 80-300 Mbps and very fast as over 300 Mbps.

Gigabit internet has a speed of 1,000 Mbps - enough to download a HD film in less than 30 seconds.

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “Project Gigabit is our national mission to level up rural areas by giving them the fastest internet speeds on the market.

“Millions more rural homes and businesses will now be lifted out of the digital slow lane thanks to our mammoth £5 billion investment and one the quickest rollouts in Europe.

“This broadband revolution will create jobs, power up businesses and allow everyone to access vital services at lightning fast speed, helping us build back better from the pandemic.”

The Government hopes to achieve its target of 85 per cent gigabit-capable coverage in the UK by 2025.