Cornwall celebrates first superfast surfers

The first 50 customers in Cornwall are now enjoying superfast broadband (SFBB) following the roll-out of fibre in the county.

The rural Chiverton Cross and Chacewater areas were the first to go live quickly followed by St Agnes, St Day, Portreath, Devoran, Leedstown, Stenalees and Par. As a result SFBB is now available to more than 14,000 homes and businesses giving Cornwall some of the best broadband speeds in the world.

The superfast service will boost the competitiveness of local firms and offer a whole new range of flexible working, entertainment and learning opportunities for local residents.

News of the first SFBB connections comes some six months after the signing of the £132 million project for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. During that time engineers from BT’s local network business Openreach have installed more than 150 kilometres of optical fibre cable – equivalent to more than the length of Cornwall.

Said Carolyn Rule, Cornwall Council cabinet member for economy and regeneration: “The Superfast Cornwall programme is certainly living up to its name.

“We are very pleased with its progress and the fact that this key milestone in the programme has been reached right on schedule. superfast broadband is already available to the first customers about six months after the scheme was first announced. It is a great achievement,” she said.