Southam fibre broadband launch hailed by Warwickshire County Council

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has welcomed the launch of fibre optic broadband in Southam.

BT connected the first homes and businesses in the market town to super-fast broadband last week, with more than 4,500 local properties set to be hooked up when the current upgrade work is completed.

By the time the infrastructure improvements are finished, fibre broadband will be available to more than 160,000 premises in the Coventry and Warwickshire area.

Alan Cockburn, portfolio holder for sustainable communities at WCC, said the development is particularly good news for Southam given the tough economic climate.

"Super-fast broadband will create new opportunities for everyone in the town, giving our businesses a competitive edge as well as opening new doors for people of every age and background," he added.

The news comes just a matter of days after BT's fibre broadband service went live in another part of the West Midlands, the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury.

Nearly 30,000 properties in the area will be connected in the coming weeks.