Truro, Falmouth, Launceston, Bude and Liskeard included in latest roll-out plans
More than 2,000 Cornish homes and businesses already using the technology
Superfast broadband has started to become available to nine more Cornish communities, including some of the countys largest centres.
The first homes and businesses in and around Truro, Liskeard, Launceston, Bude, Falmouth, Marazion, North Hill, Marhamchurch and Dobwalls now have access to the high-speed technology three months ahead of schedule.
They are the first Cornish communities to get superfast broadband in the next phase of the Superfast Cornwall roll-out programme. The technology is planned to 'go live' in further locations - including Callington and Drakewalls - later this month.
By the end of March superfast broadband will be available to about 90,000 Cornish premises.
The Superfast Cornwall partnership between the European Union, BT, Cornwall Council and Cornwall Development Company has dubbed the roll-out in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the "Big Build". The Big Build includes the laying of 130,000 kilometres of optical fibre and the upgrading of 100 telephone exchanges.
Nigel Ashcroft, programme director of Superfast Cornwall for Cornwall Development Company, said: "This is another very important step forward in the development of an initiative vital to the future prosperity of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Superfast Cornwalls rapid roll-out programme is matched by great local enthusiasm and support for this high-speed technology.
"More than 2,000 Cornish householders and firms are already using superfast broadband - and the feedback from customers is very positive. They are finding it brings big benefits to the way they live and work."
Ranulf Scarbrough, BT's Superfast Cornwall programme director, said: "The arrival of superfast broadband in these communities several months ahead of schedule shows that Superfast Cornwall is going from strength to strength. The engineering teams from BT's local network business Openreach are working hard to make excellent progress with the complex and challenging roll-out of superfast broadband.
"Of course, a huge amount remains to be done. We are still at a relatively early stage of the roll-out in most of these communities. Over the coming months we will be making the technology much more widely available both in these locations and many others. There will be considerable challenges in the months and years ahead, but already this pioneering partnership is a great success story."
The new network is available on an open wholesale basis to all companies offering broadband services.
BT recently announced it is to roughly double the speed of its super-fast broadband fibre-to-the-cabinet service next year and also increase the headline speed of its fastest fibre broadband product to up to 300Mbps.
In Cornwall, more than 15,000 homes and businesses already have access to superfast broadband following the success of a pilot scheme earlier this year*. And by the end of 2014 at least 80 per cent of premises in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly will have access to optical fibre broadband with alternative technologies, such as wireless and satellite, being used to boost speeds in locations where fibre is not currently viable.
Up to £53.5 million of the funding is coming from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Convergence Programme, the largest ever single European investment in broadband infrastructure, whilst BT is investing up to £78.5 million.
Among the firms to benefit will be Bude-based Continental Underfloor Heating, a leader in the supply of warm water under floor heating systems, which has plans for major expansion.
Chris Ingram, the company's chairman, said: "The arrival of superfast broadband is wonderful news for us and will make a huge difference to our business. It will help us grow, safeguarding the jobs of our staff and meaning we can create new jobs in Bude in the years ahead.
"We are about to open the first of a number of satellite offices around the UK so that we can serve our national customers better. With superfast broadband we can have world class communications between these and our head office in Bude. This will save us time and money in a number of ways. For example, we can have a centralised database in Bude, serving offices across the UK, and can send large files in an instant.
"One idea we are exploring is streaming webcams between our offices across the UK, so that everyone can see what is going on in a satellite office hundreds of miles away, just as if it were right next door. We even want to have a 'virtual water cooler' where people can get together and chat, even if they are in different offices."
Customers can find out more about the Superfast Cornwall Big Build and get the latest information about their area at www.superfastcornwall.org
END
For further information
Enquiries about this news release should be made to the BT Regional Press Office on 0800 085 0660 or Cornwall Development Company on 01209 311104. All news releases can be accessed at: http://www.btplc.com/News.
For further information on the Superfast Cornwall programme visit www.superfastcornwall.org
Notes to Editors
* The eight pilot locations where superfast broadband has been available since the end of March are Chiverton Cross/Chacewater, St Agnes, St Day, Portreath, Devoran, Leedstown, Stenalees and Par.
Superfast fibre optic broadband can be delivered as "fibre to the cabinet" (FTTC) or "fibre to the premises" (FTTP). FTTC is where the fibre connection is from the exchange to the street side cabinet with the remainder of the connection being over copper. FTTC provides download speeds of up to 40Mbps and upload speeds of up to 10Mbps. Technical improvements should see these headline speeds roughly double during 2012. FTTP is where the fibre connection runs all the way from the exchange to the customers premises. This technology provides download speeds of up to 110Mbps and upload speeds of up to 30Mbps. And from next Spring FTTP download speeds will be boosted to up to 300Mbps.
BT believes that both services can provide substantially higher speeds in the future if there is sufficient commercial demand for higher speeds.
Further information about next generation broadband is available from www.bt.com/ngb
About the Convergence Programme
The Superfast Cornwall programme is part financed by the European Union with up to £53.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund Convergence Programme.
For further information see: www.convergencecornwall.com
Convergence helpline telephone: 0800 0280120.
In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the Convergence programmes are made up of European Regional Development Fund (£374 million) and European Social Fund (£153 million) Convergence Programmes and will run until 2013.
The ERDF Programme investment is intended to boost the region's economy by providing focussed support for business creating better quality, higher paid jobs. This support includes training and access to higher education, strengthening links between academia and business, improved IT infrastructure, additional high quality workspace and specialist support to boost business productivity.
About Cornwall Development Company
Cornwall Development Company Ltd is the economic development company for Cornwall Council and its mission is to achieve sustainable prosperity for all in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Further information is available at www.cornwalldevelopmentcompany.co.uk
About Openreach
Openreach is responsible for the last mile of the UK access network - the copper wires and fibre connecting homes and businesses to their local telephone exchanges. Openreach provides communications providers with services and products associated with that network.
About BT
BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Retail, BT Wholesale and Openreach.
In the year ended 31 March 2011, BT Group's revenue was £20,076m with profit before taxation of £1,717m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.
For more information, visit www.btplc.com
