RESIDENTS in parts of Gwent will have access to faster broadband services by next spring, BT announced yesterday.

The investment in areas including Blackwood, Caerleon and Usk will deliver speeds of up to 20 megabits per second – more than double the maximum speeds previously available to the majority of UK homes and businesses.

The areas are among 18 Welsh communities to be included in the upgraded broadband, which will be delivered through the installation of copper lines.

By the spring of next year more than half of Wales’ premises are expected to have been upgraded. The new next generation network is available on an open, wholesale basis to all internet services providers.

The 18 Welsh areas are among more than 300 UK exchanges included in the latest phase of the programme, following Swansea, Cardiff and Wrexham.

This investment is in addition to the £2.5 billion BT rollout of super-fast fibre-based broadband, which is expected to bring even faster speeds to two thirds of the UK by the end of 2015.

Ann Beynon, BT’s director for Wales, said: “Faster broadband can help businesses become more competitive and greatly improve the online services available to families and homeworkers.”