BT has earmarked West Yorkshire as a region which will benefit early from a planned £1.5 billion fibre-optic broadband network.

Halifax, Pudsey and the Calder Valley were all named as areas which will soon be receiving fibre-optic broadband with speeds of up to 60Mb.

Commenting on the announcement, Tom Riordan, chief executive of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, told the Halifax Courier that the news was positive for firms whose address falls within the zone set to be upgraded.

"Ensuring Yorkshire and Humber is at the forefront of broadband technologies is a priority of ours as the region's development agency and a vital part of improving the economy," he said.

Adding: "Businesses are using broadband to boost their competitiveness and find new customers."

Calder Valley is one of the rural areas in which BT will experiment with fibre installation, with the telecoms giant "looking to learn lessons from deploying fibre in such environments".