BT fibre broadband upgrade to benefit 180k Black Country properties

Almost 180,000 homes and businesses in Birmingham and the Black Country are set to take advantage of BT's forthcoming fibre optic broadband speed boost.

Customers will see their maximum connection speeds rise from 40Mbps to 80Mbps next year, with the work due to benefit residents in the Soho Hill area of Birmingham, Berkswell, Fallings Park and several other communities.

Jerry Blackett, chief executive of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the announcement is "great news" in what is a challenging time for the economy.

A fast-growing digital and creative industry already exists in east Birmingham and this sector is also set to reap the rewards of the fibre broadband upgrades, he claimed.

Mr Blackett added: "We have big ambitions for much more and this news means we will be able to press on even faster."

Some 88,000 new customers signed up for BT Infinity, the company's fibre broadband service, in the three months to September 30th 2011, taking the total customer base to more than 300,000.