chippingnortonjournal

David Cameron welcomes arrival of fibre broadband in Chipping Norton

BT has brought super-fast broadband to Chipping Norton as part of its commercial rollout.

Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed the arrival of fibre optic broadband in the Oxfordshire village of Chipping Norton - part of his constituency - as a "major step forward" for the community.

More than 2,600 local businesses can now access the service, with this number set to increase to over 3,300 in the coming weeks once BT completes the necessary upgrades.

Chipping Norton has become the 19th Oxfordshire exchange - and the third in the Prime Minister's constituency - to benefit from the telecoms giant's £2.5 billion commercial fibre rollout, as nearby Carterton and Witney were upgraded last year.

Across the UK, BT's fibre broadband network coverage extends to more than 15 million properties and is expanding all the time, with the company aiming to reach two-thirds of premises - around 19 million homes and businesses - during spring 2014.

Witney MP Mr Cameron said the internet has become "an integral part of daily life" for many of his constituents.

"To ensure the future success of our towns and villages we need the right building blocks in place and one of these is digital technology to support our people and economy," he added.