An Openreach pledge to make ultrafast, ultra-reliable and future-proof broadband available in several market towns and villages across the North West has become a reality in Congleton and Winsford.

More than 10,000 homes and businesses in the towns can now access 'full fibre' broadband speeds of up to one gigabit per second (1000Mbps) – that's more than 15 times faster than today's UK average broadband speed.

As designated key workers, Openreach engineers have been hard at work throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, building the new network that uses the latest Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband technology – where fibre optic cables are laid all the way from the local telephone exchange to people's front doors.

The new technology is 'live' in parts of Congleton such as Chestnut Drive and Obelisk Way, while in Winsford people living in streets such as Rookery Rise and Collingtree Avenue can now place an order.

And in the coming months a further 20,000 homes and businesses are also set to benefit as engineers continue installing the cables and infrastructure required.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach's Regional Partnership Director in the North, said: "We're making great progress in Congleton and Winsford, and our full fibre build has continued despite the obvious challenges.

"As well as keeping people connected using our existing network, our engineers have continued building the new infrastructure to make sure that as lockdown restrictions ease, we can support families, businesses and the economic recovery.

"I'd encourage everyone who can to upgrade to the new technology and take advantage of the many benefits.

"Full fibre is more reliable and more resilient, meaning fewer faults and more predictable, consistent speeds. It's also 'future-proof' as we expect it to easily meet the growing data demands of future technologies for decades to come."

Recent research suggests the new network could bring clear economic benefits as Lancashire looks to bounce back from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A report by the Centre for Economics & Business Research (Cebr) found that connecting everyone in the North West to 'full fibre' broadband would create a £5.5 billion boost to the local economy, by unlocking smarter ways of working, better public services and greater opportunities for the next-generation of home-grown businesses.

The report also revealed that 54,000 people in the region could be brought back into the workforce through enhanced connectivity - including in small businesses and through entrepreneurship.

Openreach recently expanded its national plans and will now make FTTP technology available to 4.5 million homes and businesses across the UK by the end of March 2021 – an increase of more than 500,000 premises.

And by the mid-to-late 2020s we want to reach 20 million premises – almost two thirds of the UK – areas assuming the right conditions to invest are in place.

To find out more visit their website.