THE National Parks of Dartmoor and Exmoor contain some of the most remote and poorly connected parts of England.

But that is about to change when they get connected to the superfast digital highway through one of the largest wireless broadband infrastructure projects ever to be undertaken in the country.

Matt Hancock, Minister of State for Digital and Culture unveiled the roll out of the Connecting Dartmoor and Exmoor (CDE) superfast broadband programme across the National Parks.

It is being hailed as a game changer for the region’s economy by business and community leaders from Devon and Somerset.

The minister said: "Fast, reliable broadband is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity, perhaps especially in rural areas such as Dartmoor and Exmoor.

"It's great to see Connecting Devon & Somerset working together with the National Park Authorities, West Somerset Council and Airband on this innovative approach to roll out superfast broadband in such a remote and challenging area.

"The faster speeds will bring significant benefits to local people, businesses and public services, and open up the National Parks to a much wider marketplace so that even more people can enjoy these places of outstanding beauty.”

Councillor David Hall, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet member for Business, Inward Investment and Policy, added: “The Connecting Dartmoor & Exmoor programme builds on the success of the first phase of the CDS programme and is already making significant impact with some 2,049 premises already able to connect to the wireless network and many more will be able to connect before Christmas.

"This will bring long-term economic benefits to the Moors that will be felt for many generations to come.”

Cllr Andrea Davis, chairman of Exmoor National Park said: “Superfast broadband will provide a welcome boost to those living and working on the moors.

"Dartmoor and Exmoor have been leading the way being the only National Parks to gain funding through the Rural Community Broadband Fund for phase one and now funding and supporting the rollout of the largest wireless broadband network in the country. Our staff have worked hard to secure these benefits for the area whilst conserving the special landscape loved by so many.”

Airband, a specialist in high speed wireless broadband for rural areas, is delivering the £4.6m scheme to connect 5,800 homes, farms and businesses across Exmoor and Dartmoor.

The Airband solution uses state of the art data radio technology delivering speeds of 30Mbps or more, ensuring high speed connection where fibre is not available. Its technology is also future-proofed so will be able to exceed these speeds in years to come.

The technology works by passing a signal from a radio on a transmitter or mast to a radio attached to the final building.

A cable then takes the connection into the building allowing the home or business to connect to the internet the same way as via fibre or a standard broadband connection.

A spokesman for Airband said: "The roll out of the infrastructure has been a major engineering feat. Designing a network in such sensitive and nationally important landscapes as the South West’s two National Parks demands great care and consideration, not only to conserve the moorland skyline but also its rich wealth of nationally important archaeological and wildlife sites.

"In addition, groundworks have been challenging due to the difficult terrain and have required the use, for example, of specialist equipment to drill through rock before installing poles.

"The dramatic topography of the moors has also presented accessibility challenges, where at times vehicles have struggled to climb steep hills or reach very isolated spots.

"Despite these challenges, works have continued to progress and the connectivity on the moors is now live in areas.

"The nature of fixed wireless infrastructure means that there has been no need to dig up roads and lay cables to connect with the exchange points, again minimising the impact of the works on the environment."