THOUSANDS of residents across the town can now get some of the fastest broadband speeds in the country after Openreach began switching on the pilot areas for its new ultrafast broadband network.

More than 19,800 households and businesses in places such as Old Town, Eastcott, Covingham and Dorcan are set to benefit from the new ultrafast service, known as G.fast, 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.

Emma Howarth, Openreach’s programme director for network delivery in the South West, said: “A huge amount of effort and substantial investment has already taken place in the development of this exciting new technology. So I’m delighted to announce that we can now start connecting people in Swindon 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.”

Kim Mears, Openreach managing director for infrastructure delivery, said: “The UK is ahead of its major European neighbours when it comes to superfast broadband but technology never stands still – that’s why we’re building on our existing fibre network and leading the way in deploying ultrafast speeds.

“We need to stay ahead in order to meet the evolving needs of our customers. G.fast will allow us to do that by building on the investment we have made in fibre to date. It will transform the UK broadband landscape from superfast to ultrafast, and it will reach the largest number of people in the quickest possible time.”

Engineers have spent months upgrading the network in several parts of the town to prepare for the arrival of Swindon’s G.fast broadband pilot scheme.The town was announced as a pilot location for G.fast in October 2016, as part of Openreach’s ambition to make ultrafast broadband available to 12 million UK homes by the end of 2020.

G.fast technology changes the way today’s broadband is transmitted, delivering ultrafast speeds that have previously required fibre to be run all the way to the premises.

It builds on the success of the rollout of superfast broadband, which has already reached thousands of homes and businesses in Swindon.