SUPER-FAST fibre broadband is now available to the first homes and businesses in Foxhall, Mildenhall, Newmarket and Stowmarket, BT announced yesterday.

More than 41,000 householders and firms in those areas are joining the high-speed revolution as engineers complete planned upgrades over the coming weeks.

This latest development will help take the number of premises in Suffolk with access to fibre broadband to about 185,000 by spring 2013.

The East Anglian Daily Times is backing a county council bid to bring super-fast fibre-optic broadband to the county capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps.

Dave Hughes, BT regional director for East of England, said: “The advent of fibre broadband in these areas is a massive fillip for businesses and households. It will enrich people’s lives and bring a much-needed boost to businesses in these economically challenging times. They’re joining 11 million UK premises which are now passed by one of the world’s fastest-growing fibre networks.

“No-one is doing more than BT to bring faster broadband to Suffolk, but we want to take the technology even further. Local authorities and business organisations want fibre broadband to reach as many local homes and businesses as possible and we are offering to work with them to achieve their aspirations.”

BT’s local network business, Openreach, aims to make the high-speed technology available to around two-thirds of UK homes and businesses by the end of 2014. Foxhall, Mildenhall, Newmarket and Stowmarket will see speeds of up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps through the use of “fibre to the cabinet” technology, where fibre is delivered to the street cabinet. These are the top wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers, but speeds offered by service providers may vary.

By spring 2013 BT aims to make speeds of 330Mbps commercially available in any area where fibre broadband has been deployed, potentially transforming the competitiveness of businesses.

For further information on Openreach’s fibre broadband programme visit www.superfast-openreach.co.uk.

Belstead, Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Haverhill, Ipswich, Kesgrave, Woodbridge are the Suffolk exchanges which have already gone live for fibre broadband.