BT brings fibre broadband to Whitley Bay

Thousands of homes and businesses in Whitley Bay are now benefiting from BT's fibre broadband rollout in North Tyneside - a development that Tynemouth MP Alan Campbell has praised as a "big step forward" for the community.

"At a time when the local economy needs a boost, BT's investment in fibre broadband offers the potential for new services and business growth," he told the Chronicle.

The telecoms giant's engineers are expected to complete the upgrade within the next few weeks, expanding the availability of high-speed internet to more than 17,500 properties.

Whitley Bay is just one North Tyneside community covered by BT's rollout. It follows new fibre broadband provisions in Killingworth, Wallsend and Benton.

By spring 2014, approximately 59,000 homes and businesses in the area are expected to benefit from similar upgrades.

In South Tyneside, meanwhile, a further 56,000 premises will be able to access fibre broadband within the same timeframe.