Within six months, around a dozen county villages are to be linked to superfast broadband.
It follows the granting of the UK’s first Broadband Licence for Churches.
Service provider allpay and Hereford Diocese have confirmed that Peterchurch, Madley, Preston-on-Wye, Staunton-on-Wye, Credenhill, Burghill, Callow and Wellington will be among the first communities to benefit.
The Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Rev Anthony Priddis officially presented the first Broadband Licence to the vicar of Kingstone Church, Rev Clare Dyson, during a ceremony at the Bishop’s Palace.
From its tower it will beam a wireless signal to more than 150 customers across three communities.
It follows a successful pilot study in the parish, which will now be used as a blueprint to roll the service out across rural parts of Herefordshire and South Shropshire.
Provider allpay says it plans to include areas such as Shobdon, Leominster, Clee Hill and Bromyard in the next 12 months.
Churches will receive an annual fee of £500 for allowing buildings to house the equipment.
The official launch of the Broadband Licence was attended by the county’s two MPs Jesse Norman and Bill Wiggin, along with the Mayor of Hereford, the chairman of Herefordshire Council and the Bishop of Hereford.
Any residents or parishes can register their interest on the company’s website, www.allpaybroadband.com, or telephone 0844 557 8332.