BT extends fibre broadband service to 45,000 Cheltenham properties

The first homes and businesses in the Gloucestershire town of Cheltenham have been connected to BT's fibre optic broadband infrastructure.

Over the coming months, the telecoms giant is planning to roll out the technology to more than 45,000 properties in the area as part of its £2.5 billion investment in super-fast broadband.

BT's fibre-to-the-cabinet service, which is being deployed in Cheltenham, currently offers download speeds of up to 40Mbps and maximum upload rates of 10Mbps.

Jon Reynolds, director for the south-west at BT, described the move as an "exciting development", although he acknowledged a considerable amount of work must be done to extend its fibre broadband coverage throughout the local area.

"The advent of BT fibre-based broadband in Cheltenham will support local jobs and the local economy and is a vital part of BT's broadband plans for the region," Mr Reynolds added.

Elsewhere in the south-west, the company announced last month that thousands more properties across Wiltshire had been included in its fibre broadband deployment.