A family run business in Medway is the first in the country to be connected to ultra fast broadband.

Gillingham accountancy firm Temiz and Co, was the first customer in the country to be connected to the super-quick broadband.

The book-keeping firm, in James Street, Gillingham, was connected to the ultrafast network on Friday, March 10, by BT’s Openreach.

Scroll down for video

The accountancy company is now using the latest ultrafast technology, known as G.fast, a service capable of delivering download speeds of up to 330Mbps, which is more than 10 times faster than the national average.

BT announced in May last year that Gillingham would be one of the first communities in the country to get the new technology.

And eventually, about 12,500 households and businesses in the town will have access to the new internet speeds.

The introduction of the new connection is a key part of plans by Openreach, BT’s local network business, to connect more households and small businesses to ultrafast fibre via its open access network.

Gillingham was made a pilot site along with a location in Cambridgeshire and by the end of 2020, more than 10 million UK homes will be connected to the new technology, as part of an overall plan to reach 12 million premises with ultrafast speeds of more than 100Mbps in the same time frame.

Video: Temiz and Co are the first to get BT ultra fast broadband

Gillingham was one of the first trial sites and around 12,500 households and businesses in the county were able to take part in the trial which began in last year.

Openreach has since announced a total of 17 G.fast pilot areas which are being built around the country and will mean thousands more homes and businesses will be able to connect to the service this year.

Mehmet Uzum, who runs the book-keeping business with his wife Gulcihan, says the new ultrafast speeds are helping them devise plans to expand into new markets and grow their business.

Mr Uzum said: “All our client data is stored in the Cloud.

“Having ultrafast speeds means we can download and upload that data instantly, however many client accounts we are working on at the same time.

“Uploading heavy data files could take a couple of hours with the speeds we had before but now we can achieve the same in a matter of minutes, it is a big time saver.”

He added that having ultrafast speeds had given them the confidence to expand their operation and to offer new services to clients.

Mr Uzum said: “We are in the process of building a website for the business which will allow clients to log into their own accounts and use the book keeping facilities.

“We are also looking to open another office in London to help us attract new clients in the City and take on another partner so that we can offer an auditing service. It is a new and exciting time for us and having ultrafast broadband provides the platform to do all this on. It has given us the confidence to go ahead and invest in the future of the business.”

Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti, also went along to the business to see it get connected to the new technology.

He added: “I’m delighted that Gillingham is at the forefront of such an important advance in broadband technology.

“Temiz book-keeping are a great example of how ultrafast broadband can give small businesses new and more effective ways to compete in the digital world.

“From children doing their homework to caring for our elderly population and from social media to e-commerce and home entertainment – high-speed broadband is the critical enabler, and I look forward to many more businesses and residents in Gillingham being among the first to enjoy the benefits of ultrafast broadband.”

Openreach’s superfast network currently covers almost 26 million premises in the UK.

To get connected to the new ultrafast technology, visit www.openreach.co.uk/buyultrafast