NEWPORT will be the first city in Wales to have full high-speed Internet broadband coverage.

All 58,000 households and nearly 5,000 businesses will be able to surf the Internet with broadband, which is much faster than a dial-up modem.

Councillor John Jenkins, cabinet member for development and employment, said: "Businesses and households will now have access to high-speed Internet technology that will improve their lives."

BT said that of the nine exchanges in Newport six are broadband-enabled.

Castleton will go online on March 17 and Llanwern on May 26. The date for Maesglas has not been set.

Ann Beynon, BT national manager Wales, said: "This brings us closer to achieving our target of 100 per cent coverage for the whole of Wales by 2005."