A broadband network which is aimed at allowing Welsh companies to compete with those in the south-east will be launched today (Thursday, November 27th).

The project, taken on by provider Fibrespeed, is the result of a £30 million investment which will see business parks in north Wales connected to the high-speed fibre-optic service.

Fibre cabling stretches from Holyhead, onto Wrexham and then up to Manchester, covering over 200 miles in the process.

Mike Johnston, project director for Fibrespeed, commented: "The speed with which service providers have come on board reflects the extent of pent-up demand in the North Wales market.

"Businesses in the region are crying out for services such as high-speed data or unified communications, yet with wholesale prices as much as six times higher than the national average, it has not been a cost-effective market for service providers to access."

Fibrespeed has come to agreements with regional providers to resell capacity in an effort to drum up more customers.