Plans to roll-out ADSL to rural areas took a step forward with week with the unveiling of six exchanges in Cornwall part-funded by European cash.

Thanks to the initiative exchanges in Truro, St Austell, Redruth, Camborne, Newquay and Penzance are now DSL-enabled.

And if there's enough demand then exchanges at Falmouth, Bodmin, Launceston, Saltash, Penryn, St Ives and Bude will be upgraded later this year.

The project called ACT NOW is a public/private sector partnership involving outfits such as BT and the South West of England Regional Development Agency.

Altogether, £12.5 million has been invested to help get small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in Cornwall online.

More than £5 million was provided by the European Union.

From today 3,300 Cornish businesses will be able to choose from a range of access and hardware packages starting at £34.95 a month.

If successful, BT is looking to extend this public/private partnership to ten other areas in the UK over the next couple of years. ®

Related Story

Cornwall gets DSL