Businesses seeking the ideal location should look no further than Basingstoke or Dartford, according to one industry expert.

Peter Cowen, BT Retail's Regional Manager for the south-east of England, told the Basingstoke Gazette that the Hampshire and Kent towns are the perfect places to establish a business presence, because of their new super-fast broadband infrastructures.

In Basingstoke, BT is currently laying fibre-optic cables which, from January, will provide access to connection speeds of between 15 and 40Mb.

Mr Cowen predicted that the network will lead to a surge in house prices, while also attracting and keeping computing businesses in the town.

He stated: "If I was a small business in ICT looking to relocate, there are only two places I would [consider] – Basingstoke and Dartford. It's a fantastic advantage," he said.

"Houses in Basingstoke are going to get added value. If I was buying a house and I was a remote worker, I would look at Basingstoke."

Broadband provider BT is currently working on a £1.5 billion upgrade programme, designed to make super-fast broadband available to 40 per cent of the UK within three years.