Wales begins quest to achieve 96% fibre broadband coverage

Wales is on track to achieve its goal of 96 per cent fibre optic broadband coverage following the start of the Superfast Cymru rollout.

The first new fibre broadband street cabinet installed as part of the project was unveiled on Friday (February 22nd 2013) in Bangor, with hundreds of homes and businesses in the area set to be served by it.

As the deployment gains momentum, further cabinets are being installed in other parts of the north Wales city. The first local properties could benefit from next-generation broadband connectivity as soon as this spring.

A partnership between BT and the Welsh government, Superfast Cymru will initially roll out the technology in eight communities - Bangor, Caernarfon, Dolgellau, Menai Bridge, Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Ebbw Vale and Tredegar.

The network will be delivered by Openreach, BT's local access network business, and made available to rival communications providers on a wholesale basis.

Mike Galvin, managing director of network investment at Openreach, said: "This investment will involve Openreach working in communities throughout Wales to make high-speed fibre broadband a reality."