Villagers in Meldreth, Shepreth and Thriplow will be able to connect to the fastest broadband following a hyperfast full-fibre broadband rollout.

The introduction has been announced by County Broadband, a specialist internet provider in East Anglia.

In the latest major boost to Cambridgeshire's growing digital economy, County Broadband initially plans to build the new gigabit-capable network in the three villages - along with six others, if enough local demand is secured.

More villages are set to be announced later this year.

The project is funded by a £46 million private investment by Aviva Investors and follows an initial launch in Essex and Norfolk last year - which has seen over 10,000 residents and business owners sign up to receive future-ready digital connectivity.

Meldreth, Shepreth and Thriplow would have some of the fastest internet speeds in the UK at up to 20 times the national average.

It follows the government's flagship pledge for the entire UK to have access to gigabit speeds by 2025 - to catch up with the rest of the world - and forms part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "infrastructure revolution".

Councillor Ian Bates, chair of Cambridgeshire County Council's economy and environment committee said: "Cambridgeshire is a leading digital county and we know how important it is to have fast, reliable Internet access wherever you are.

"It's vital for our businesses to be able to compete, for our communities to thrive, and for people to access council services online. We welcome County Broadband's commitment to investing in gigabit-capable services for rural villages in Cambridgeshire, which supports our ambition to extend full fibre coverage across the county to deliver better connectivity. Our Enabling Digital Delivery team is helping to ensure the rollout progresses as quickly as possible."

Lloyd Felton, chief executive of County Broadband, said: "We are very excited to announce our full-fibre investment plans for Thriplow, Meldreth and Shepreth which will ensure the villages can take advantage of all the latest technology, from streaming movies and TV programmes, healthcare provision to education, for generations to come instead of relying an outdated, slow copper-based networks."

Residents and businesses can visit www.countybroadbandfibre.co.uk/futureready to see if the service is available in their area.