MARCH and Whittlesey may get superfast broadband in the next year.

They are included among more than 50 rural parishes and urban areas that are being considered for the first phase of the roll-out, scheduled from December 2013 to June 2014. which will deliver better broadband speeds.

Wisbech and Chatteris will have to wait longer for superfast broadband, since they are not being considered for the initial roll-out.

But some parts of the towns will be covered by the commercial roll out.

Further details of the roll-out plan will be announced at regular intervals from September.

A Connecting Cambridgeshire Spokesman said: “In the first phase we are targeting areas which require less work to connect them and commercial areas.

“Inevitably some areas will benefit sooner than others but the good news is the programme is on track and we hope to roll out better broadband to all Fenland’s communities by the end of 2015.”

Councillor Chris Seaton, Fenland District Council’s portfolio holder responsible for economic development, said: “It’s great news that some parts of Fenland are among the areas set to be in at the start of this ambitious programme.

“Better broadband is particularly important in rural areas like ours – it’s desperately needed both to encourage business and to make it easier for people to access all sorts of vital services.”

Connecting Cambridgeshire aims to have broadband speeds of at least 24Mbps available to more than 90 per cent of premises and speeds of between 2Mbps and 24Mbps for 98 per cent of homes and businesses across the county by the end of 2015.

A map produced by Connecting Cambridgeshire indicates the areas that are under consideration. It can be viewed online at www.connectingcambridgeshire.co.uk.