BT high-speed broadband will be available in Monmouth by the end of summer 2014.

A technical hitch on the BT website shows Monmouth residents as able to apply for the fibre-optic broadband now, however only residents of neighbouring Newent are currently eligible to apply.

The Monmouth telephone exchange supplies parts of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, and because these counties are now live, it was this activity in Newent that recently triggered the website to show Monmouth as up and running.

Monmouth will be supplied with high speed broadband as part of the Superfast Cymru project, a partnership between the Welsh Assembly, UK Government and BT to improve the internet in rural locations.

The project aims to supply 96 per cent of Welsh homes with the fibre optic broadband by the end of 2015.

BT initially rolled out superfast broadband across the country in more urban locations thought to be financially viable. Under this first scheme, 6000 people in Chepstow were able to access the high speed broadband in March 2011 and Caldicot went live in March 2012.

Work is not due to begin in Usk until 2015.

For those in rural locations, the UK Government has invested £57 million in the Superfast Cymru plan, which has to date made sure that 100,000 Welsh homes and businesses move out of the digital slow lane.

Superfast broadband will enable families to do things like simultaneously download a movie, watch a TV replay service, do homework on the internet and play games online all at the same time. A whole album can be downloaded in less than 30 seconds and a feature length HD movie in less than 10 minutes.

The higher speeds can also help small businesses to grow and save valuable time by being able to make greater use of things like online ordering, doing more by email and accessing more services online.