Prime Minister David Cameron was present at the symbolic opening of a BT cabinet in Alvescot, Oxfordshire on Friday.
The cabinet, installed as part of the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire programme, will bring speeds of up to 80Mbps to nearby premises.
Better Broadband for Oxfordshire aims to connect 90 per cent of the county to superfast broadband, delivering speeds of 24Mbps and above by the end of 2014.
David Cameron in his capacity as MP for Witney said: “The switching on of the first tranche of superfast cabinets marks the start of a remarkable transformation of broadband throughout Oxfordshire.
“The UK already does more business online than any other European country and widespread access to superfast speeds will provide a welcome boost to Oxfordshire’s economy.”
Figures released in 2012 suggested that the UK’s so-called online economy is the biggest in the G20 group of wealth-producing nations.
The village of Alvescot is one of the first areas to benefit from the programme, which will eventually connect more than 64,000 homes and businesses. Better Broadband for Oxfordshire is funded by money from the local authorities, BT and the government’s BDUK (Broadband Delivery for the UK) fund.
The majority of locations will get FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) installed, providing speeds of up to 80Mbps. A lucky few will get faster FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) lines, which can provide speeds of up to 330Mbps. Premises not located in the 90 per cent catchment area will be guaranteed a basic service delivering speeds of at least 2Mbps.
Last year the Cotswolds Broadband scheme, which aimed to bring FTTP to thousands of homes in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire was scrapped due to issues related to funding, EU rules on state aid and the possible overlap with Better Broadband for Oxfordshire.
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