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Openreach begins pilot ultrafast broadband rollout across Newcastle

Telecoms firm Openreach, a subsidiary of BT, has begun switching on pilot areas for its new ultrafast broadband network in Newcastle.

Around 5,800 households and businesses in areas including Fawdon, East Gosforth, Kenton and Parklands are set to benefit from the new G.fast service, which provides download speeds of up to 330Mbps – more than 10 times the UK average.

The faster speeds that ultrafast broadband brings means a two hour HD film can be downloaded in just 90 seconds, a 45 minute HD TV show in just 16 seconds and a nine hour audio book in just three seconds.

People living in the pilot areas who want to try the new service should contact their internet service provider to see if they’re offering a service, and to find out more about availability and pricing.

Mike Reynolds, Openreach spokesperson for the North East, said: “A huge amount of effort and substantial investment has already taken place in the development of this exciting new technology.

“This includes one of the original trials of the technology which took place here in Gosforth and enabled us to make a number of important improvements to the technology and methods of deployment.

“So I’m delighted to announce that we can now start connecting people in Newcastle and at the 19 other locations around the country.

“These pilot schemes are hugely important to us and to the local households and businesses, which will be able to benefit from G.fast.

“Whether you are somebody aiming to work more efficiently or grow your business, or a household going online for shopping, entertainment or studies, fast access to the internet has never been more important.

“We know the technology works and can be a major benefit for customers, but these pilots will now help us test and improve all the factors involved in rolling out G.fast on a national scale.”

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