A Welsh village is the site of a trial which will see Virgin Media using existing electricity pylons to carry super fast broadband connection.
The test will be carried out in Crumlin as Virgin Media partners utility services provider Surf Telecoms to install the fibre optic broadband cables.
It is easier and cheaper using pylons to install fibre optic cables than deploying the cables through BT's underground cable network, Virgin Media says.
Richard Doble, the policy manager of Surf Telecom, a part of the Western Power Distribution organisation, said: "Western Power Distribution's electricity infrastructure reaches over 2.5 million homes across South West England and South and West Wales and, with this trial, we're exploring an innovative new approach that could bring ultrafast broadband to many customers for the first time."
Locals trialling the service should receive download speeds of up to 50 Mbps Virgin has said. The trial, which is set to begin next month, will run until 2011.