[Gavin-D]

Openreach, the BT-owned firm that manages the UK's broadband infrastructure, has vowed to introduce "ultrafast" internet connections to three million premises by 2020.

The company said it was accelerating its plan to run fibre connections directly to homes and businesses.

It will increase internet speeds from 24 megabits a second under superfast broadband to 100 megabits.

The first phase will begin this year, targeting eight cities across the UK.

Openreach, which operates independently from BT, said Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Manchester would form the first phase of the programme that will connect "up to 40 UK towns, cities and boroughs".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42902064