BLACKPOOL'S broadband connection is set to become one of the best in the country.
Communications giant Virgin is launching its 50 megabits service in the resort, which will allow surfers to download nine times faster than the average UK top speed.
According to Government figures, almost three quarters of people in Blackpool hav
e a computer and 88 per cent of broadband users in the resort log on to the internet everyday.
But until now they have only been able to get broadband speeds of between 8Mbs and 20Mbs.
This new service will allow users to download music albums and full TV programmes in just three minutes.
And business leaders in the town say it will be a massive boost, too.
Steve Pye, chairman of the Blackpool-based Federation of Small Businesses, said: "My connection at the moment is 8Mb and sometimes it can be a little slow and even crash.
"When you are part way through putting a deal together this is not a good thing."
Virgin is the first internet provider in the UK to offer the 50Mbs connection, which it is rolling out across the country – with Blackpool one of the first places to gain the speeds.
The Government has also promised that every home in the UK will have access to broadband by 2017.
In Blackpool, a new £150,000 wireless zone has been created in the town centre.
The Wi-Fi Blackpool project has created hot spots at more than a dozen sites, including the Winter Gardens, Church Street, Victoria Street, Birley Street, Corporation Street and the areas around the North
Station and Central Car Park.
It means visitors and residents coming into the town centre with a wireless laptop or phone can access selected sites – including Visit Blackpool, Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Live – for free.
A council spokesman said: "By creating Wi-Fi zones in key public spaces we can start to develop the sort of café culture that is integral to a high-quality town or city centre."
