Homes in Spalding, Long Sutton, Holbeach, Bourne and Market Deeping could be getting fast broadband

South Lincolnshire could finally be stepping out of the broadband slow lane - with two separate schemes due to drastically boost speeds for users.

Lightspeed Broadband has announced that it is going to rollout full-fibre connections in Spalding, Long Sutton, Holbeach, Bourne and Market Deeping.

A separate scheme for wireless internet, planned by Pinchbeck-based Ark ICT Solutions, could also boost connections for any users not covered by this - helping rural businesses and properties who suffer from the slowest connections.

Only eight areas in England currently suffer from worse average internet speeds than South Holland, with an average download rate of 40.6 Mbps.

Lightspeed is promising 1000 Mbps - meaning speeds about 25 times quicker than the current average. At that rate, an HD film could be downloaded in under a minute.

It has promised to try to keep disruption to a minimum while installing connections to homes in each of the towns - with connections due to be ready for some properties by the end of the year.

Dave Axam, operations director at Lightspeed Broadband said: “Together with our build partners, we will be working closely with the councils, highways authorities and local communities in each town to build the network.

“We want to build as environmentally kindly as we possibly can and we will be re-using existing underground ducts and telegraph poles, digging underground chambers, rather than using street cabinets, and using clean, electric vehicles. Inevitably there will be some build works, however we aim to minimise these as much as we can so there’s less disruption for residents.”

Customers would need to purchase their broadband through Lightspeed, rather than a traditional provider such as Sky, BT or TalkTalk, and the company’s packages would solely focus on internet services.

The gigabit broadband rollout was welcomed by Ark owner Phil Callow.

He said: “It can only be good. Lincolnshire is thwarted by poor internet - I think because we are such a rural county that’s spread over a massive area. There’s so many areas poorly served by the internet.”

Mr Callow says the businesses it works with are currently restricted in the services they access because of slow connections and this will be ‘brilliant’ for them.

Ark’s separate wireless services would come from a series of masts - with the first due to go up at a new office off Platts Close. The first customers might be able to benefit from the service by Christmas.

Mr Callow said: “We could fill the gaps that the town services can’t reach. Watch this space.”