COMPANIES on Malvern’s largest employment site have received a long-awaited upgrade to superfast fibre-optic broadband.

The upgrade of a cabinet serving Enigma Business Park, in Malvern Link, was completed by BT on Friday after months of lobbying from the Malvern Gazette, local businesses, Malvern Hills District Council and MP Harriett Baldwin.

BT bosses pledged to upgrade the cabinet as a priority after coming to Malvern for summit talks with Mrs Baldwin and council leaders last month.

Tony Stephenson, managing director of Traplet Publications, is delighted the upgraded service has been delivered as promised. “This is fantastic news. The arrival of fast broadband will really help us grow our business, both nationally and internationally,” he said.

David Hughes, leader of Malvern Hills District Council, said: “This marks another important step for Malvern. We’ve worked hard to ensure the best possible broadband facility for the district and we welcome the news that this exciting new technology will now be available to more businesses in the area to help improve efficiencies, giving a real competitive edge.”

The work means 28 of Malvern’s 55 cabinets have now been upgraded to superfast broadband.

BT has pledged to upgrade a further 20 either before the end of the year or in early 2013.

Mrs Baldwin is delighted to see progress being made with the rollout in Malvern.

“I am delighted that we are able to celebrate this upgrade, which has been the cause of some concern locally for several months,” she said. “I would like to thank BT for listening to our concerns and scheduling this work before Christmas. I hope that this is the start of a tranche of upgrades across Malvern.”

Ian Binks, BT’s regional manager for Worcestershire and the West Midlands, said: “Work to bring faster fibre broadband to more homes and businesses in the Malvern area is continuing to progress well and we hope to see more of them using it to transform their businesses in the coming weeks and months.”

Both BT and Mrs Baldwin are urging anyone not covered by the commercial rollout, which will include more than 15,000 homes and businesses in Malvern, to register an interest with Worcestershire County Council, which has £10 million to get superfast broadband to 90 per cent of homes and businesses by 2015.