Prudhoe receives fibre broadband speed boost

BT has announced that high-speed fibre broadband is now available to homes and businesses in Prudhoe for the first time.

This follows on from a recent boost to the nation's fibre optic broadband footprint in the north-east, as the technology has already been unrolled in Ashington and Hexham.

Further locations are set to be announced in the coming months - and work will be carried out in tandem with the public sector to ensure that parts of the north-east that lie outside BT's reach will still be able to benefit from the services.

North-east regional director for BT Farooq Hakim said that research carried out by his organisation indicates that fibre broadband could bolster the economy of a typical town by £143 million within 15 years.

"Whatever you’re doing online, you can do it better and faster with fibre," he commented, adding: "It's great for education, shopping, entertainment, the social networking we now carry out routinely online."