Westminster council welcomes news of broadband boost

Homes and businesses in the London borough of Westminster have gained access to superfast broadband thanks to campaigning from the local council.

Last month Westminster City Council complained that the area of central London was suffering from "painfully slow broadband speeds". The reaction has been positive, with BT stating that it would be connecting more premises to superfast broadband as part of a city-wide Openreach programme, Get West London reported.

The company has said that it will make fibre available to an additional 39,874 local homes and businesses in the next two years, taking its total coverage for fibre in the borough to nearly 106,000 premises. It will come as welcome news to businesses operating in the area who have been puzzled by the poor broadband infrastructure within the nation's capital.

Westminster City Council leader Philippa Roe commented on the news: "I’m delighted to see that BT is making a further investment in superfast fibre broadband within Westminster. I’ve been encouraging businesses and residents within the borough to register their interest in accessing superfast fibre broadband and it is great news to see this effort paying off.

"I would of course like all premises in the borough to have access to superfast fibre broadband and this is a good start in achieving that. I know our residents and businesses in the additional areas of Westminster where superfast fibre broadband will now be available will be very pleased."

Several weeks ago Westminster City Cabinet member for Business and Economic Development Councillor Daniel Astaire said that poor broadband services threatened to leave London lagging behind other European cities. He added: "It is economically illiterate to hold back small businesses in the heart of London – we must support our entrepreneurs and give them the best possible chance of success."

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