Bishop's Waltham will be the next town to benefit from broadband - thanks to BT.

Next month the Bishop's Waltham exchange will be equipped with ADSL broadband equipment through BT Wholesale's broadband registration scheme.

The scheme, launched in July, responds to enough people and businesses 'petitioning' BT for ADSL.

Bishop's Waltham now has sufficient orders for ADSL to be installed at the exchange. Broadband services will 'go live' at Bishop's Waltham on December 12th, making it one of the first ten exchanges in the country to be equipped with ADSL through the scheme.

ADSL broadband uses existing BT phone lines. It operates at between ten and 40 times the speed of standard internet connections, eliminating delays while large files and graphics download. And it is "always-on", so users don't need to 'dial-up' the internet. Phone calls can also be made over the same line at the same time.

Lizzie Beesley, BT's regional director for the South East, said: "BT is eager to bring broadband to all parts of the UK. We are now at the stage where demand and customer interest are dictating our investment decisions. Bishop's Waltham is an early example of how well this approach is working."

She said that Bishop's Waltham internet users had supported the campaign for broadband connections in two crucial areas.

"Firstly, they have taken advantage of BT's broadband registration scheme and put their names down as serious customers, giving us the confidence that we will achieve the initial commercial threshold of 200 connections.

"And they have then confirmed their firm interest with BT's own broadband services - BT Openworld and BT Broadband. Between them they cater for everyone from the growing business through to the residential user.

"Businesses will see how broadband improves competitiveness, profitability and customer service, and individuals can, for example, watch their favourite sporting events online, send and receive large files more quickly and children can exploit the internet for learning and leisure faster and more effectively.

"Customers in Bishop's Waltham have been signing up to both - and indeed to other broadband service providers - in sufficient numbers to give us the confidence that our exchange investment will provide worthwhile returns for the local communities."