ABOUT 50,000 Hampshire homes and businesses will soon be benefiting from super-fast internet speeds now that telecoms giant, BT, have converted another five telephone exchanges to fibre-optic technology.

Those in Eastleigh, Chandler’s Ford, Fair Oak, Locks Heath and Andover have been upgraded.

The new technology offers the possibility of speeds of up to 100mb a second, many times faster than previously available on the BT network.

It is the latest chapter in BT’s £1.5bn programme to make fibre-optic broadband available to 40 per cent of the UK, some 10 million homes, by summer, 2012.

Steve Robertson, chief executive of BT’s local-network business Openreach, said: “The benefits offered by this technology could play a vital role in helping to lift the UK out of recession and allowing companies and individuals to thrive in a challenging economic climate.”

Robert Crawford, of regional development agency, Seeda, said: “Investment in technology of this kind has never been more vital than in these challenging economic times.

“I am convinced that businesses in this region, which has a reputation for innovation and enterprise, will take full advantage of the tremendous opportunities it offers.

“By doing so, they will be able to enhance the services they offer for customers, market themselves more effectively, work more efficiently and improve their learning and development.”