A broadband boost, which will see people in the north of the city getting faster internet access, has been praised by city council and business leaders.

BT says high-speed fibre broadband will be rolled out to another 23,500 homes and businesses in Norfolk this year.

Norwich North and Holt are the latest places earmarked for the investment, which is part of a �2.5bn roll-out of fibre broadband across the UK.

Brenda Arthur, leader of Norwich City Council, said: 'This is excellent news for many people in the area.

'In a tough economic climate, this local investment from BT will help make the region an even better place to live, work and do business.'

Caroline Williams, right, chief executive of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said: 'Reliable, fast connections can make a significant difference to education and business, give access to new services and link to global markets.'

BT says high-speed fibre broadband will make it much quicker for people to upload and download information on the internet.

Dave Hughes, BT regional director for the East of England, said: 'Local firms and households who make the switch to fibre broadband will be able to do so much more with their connection, whether they're using it for business, entertainment, education, social networking or shopping – or all of these at once.'

The service is already available in other parts of Norwich, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Norwich, Cromer and Dereham.

Almost 15,000 households and businesses recently backed a Yes to Better Broadband campaign, launched by our sister paper the EDP and Norfolk County Council.

The campaign, launched in January, was designed to give specific demand information which would tempt private investors to pump cash into better services in the county.

Norfolk County Council is providing �15m towards improved services, a sum which is matched by Broadband Delivery UK and which will be further boosted by whichever private sector partner the council joins forces with.

Have you got a business story for the Evening News? Call Shaun Lowthorpe on 01603 772471 or email shaun.lowthorpe@archant.co.uk