A number of people in communities across Carmarthenshire could be getting better broadband soon.

Openreach has announced that homes and businesses in Llanpumsaint, Llansteffan, Bancyfelin, and Pontyates could soon benefit from improved broadband, as part of the UK Government's Gigabit Voucher scheme.

The telecoms company has identified these areas as being within scope for a full fibre broadband upgrade.

The exchanges will largely serve properties in the Rhydargaeau area of Llanpumsaint, as well as Llansteffan, Bancyfelin, and Pontyates.

Residents have already started to pledge their Gigabit Vouchers to bring full fibre broadband to these communities.

The vouchers are free and can be pooled together to fund the build.

For the work to go ahead, Openreach needs 75 residents or businesses in Llanpumsaint, 215 in Llansteffan, 142 in Bancyfelin, and approximately 356 in Pontyates to sign up.

So far, the response has been positive, with the number of pledges already going towards the funding goal standing at 88 per cent in Llansteffan, 77 per cent in Pendine, 61 per cent in Llanpumsaint, 48 per cent in Bancyfelin, and 29 per cent in Pontyates.

This indicates that people across Carmarthenshire fully understand the benefits of better broadband and how it can improve everyday life.

Residents can check if they qualify and pledge their voucher on the Connect My Community website.

The decision on the fibre infrastructure build, the scope of premises covered, and the timeline are all subject to technical surveys, as well as the number of vouchers pledged by the community.

The validated vouchers do not bear any cost to residents and sufficient take-up will enable Openreach to work with a local community to build a customised, co-funded network.

Vouchers can be combined to extend the ultrafast, ultra-reliable network to premises in outlying rural areas which won’t be covered by private investment.

Martin Williams, director of partnerships for Openreach in Wales, said: "Fast reliable broadband is essential for modern day life.

"Our engineering teams have been super busy, upgrading our broadband network to fibre ultra-fast full fibre to more than 925,000 homes and businesses across Wales.

"These voucher schemes in Carmarthenshire are a great opportunity to access Government funding that will enable our engineers to transform broadband speeds and build a broadband network that will be fit for future generations."

Once the pledge target for the scheme is reached, residents need to ensure they then validate their vouchers with the Government so that Openreach can confirm that building work can get underway.

As part of the funding conditions, residents are asked to commit to ordering a full fibre service from a provider of their choice for at least 12-months once the new network is available and confirm that they are connected.

Councillor Hazel Evans, Carmarthenshire County Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, leisure, culture and tourism, said: "The continuation of upgrades to areas of the county that struggle with their broadband means that increasing numbers of residents and businesses will now reap the benefits of being better connected.

"Carmarthenshire County Council is committed to helping every community to access better broadband and will continue to work with infrastructure suppliers to make that happen."

If you live in Carmarthenshire and have any questions about the voucher scheme, speak to your broadband engagement officer, Aled Nicholas, at broadband@carmarthenshire.gov.uk.