Fibre Broadband Boost for Catrine
More than 1,100 homes and businesses in Catrine are now able to connect to fibre broadband thanks to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.
The properties in Catrine join over 12,200 homes and businesses in East Ayrshire which are now able to access fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland rollout – with more local coverage to follow.
To help local people find out more about the benefits of the high-speed service, a special drop-in event will be held at the town’s Mill Square between 12 and 4pm on Wednesday September 2. Anyone in the local community interested in finding out how fibre broadband works and the benefits it can provide is welcome to attend the free event.
Other areas in East Ayrshire that are live thanks to the programme include Galston, Drongan, Dalrymple and Mauchline – with additional coverage in Cumnock building on BT’s commercial rollout there.
The latest premises are among more than 394,000 across Scotland which can now access fibre broadband services at speeds of up to 80Mbps* as part of the £410 million Digital Scotland rollout.
Fibre broadband enables multiple users in a home or business to access the internet, download and share large files at the same time more quickly than ever before. In order to take advantage of the higher speeds now available, residents should contact their service provider.
The Digital Scotland rollout is being delivered on the ground by engineers from BT’s local network business, Openreach. With more than 1,600 new cabinets now installed across Scotland to house the fibre connections, the project underpins the Scottish Government’s aim of delivering world class connectivity by 2020.
During the drop-in event, members of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme will be on hand to get people up to speed with the technology and provide advice on areas such as signing up with a service provider.
Those attending will also be able to climb aboard the new Digital Scotland Fibre Showcase, a specially-adapted vehicle which features all of the equipment used in the roll-out of fibre broadband. The unique vehicle includes equipment which is familiar to members of the public - like the new green street cabinets - as well as some of the things they don’t often see, such as how fibre-optic cables are ‘blown’ underground, as part of the deployment.
East Ayrshire Council has contributed £1.1 million to the Digital Scotland rollout in addition to block funding from all the Scottish local authorities.
Councillor Jim Buchanan, Cabinet Member for Economy at East Ayrshire Council, said: “It’s really exciting to hear that so many premises in and around Catrine are already able to connect to fibre broadband. It’s good to see this project reaching more communities in our area, contributing towards the aim of connecting most of our homes and businesses to fibre broadband.
“We know how important access to high-speed internet technology is to both residents and businesses – which is why East Ayrshire Council chose to invest £1.1 million into the programme’s rollout. We hope to have a good turn-out at the event on Mill Square and demonstrate to our residents and various businesses the huge benefits which fibre broadband will provide.”
Sara Budge, programme director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It’s great news that many residents and businesses in and around Catrine are now able to receive fibre broadband thanks to the programme, with more local coverage to follow.
“I’m also excited that we’ll be having our new Digital Scotland fibre showcase there. This will give residents an interesting and detailed idea of what fibre broadband can provide and exactly how it’s delivered.
“The difference a high-speed connection can make is amazing, giving much more flexibility at work or in the home. I hope that local residents will come along to the event on Mill Squareto get an understanding of the boost they can expect from a fast fibre broadband connection when they sign up with a service provider.”
BT is investing £126 million in the Digital Scotland programme, in addition to its commercial rollout of fibre broadband in Scotland.
Brendan Dick, BT Scotland Director, said: “Thousands more people in East Ayrshire now have access to their best ever broadband speeds thanks to the Digital Scotland project. Including BT’s commercial rollout, around 45,700 East Ayrshire homes and businesses can now upgrade to high-speed fibre broadband by contacting their service provider. As the fibre network extends across the area, making the most of it is vital. I hope local people and businesses will soon be taking advantage of all the opportunities on offer.”
Local people can check the interactive map on the Digital Scotland website (http://www.digitalscotland.org/whereandwhen) to find out if they can get the service and further information is also available on Twitter @ScotSuperfast or Facebook at www.facebook.com/scotlandsuperfast
ENDS
*These are the top wholesale speeds available to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.
While many premises in enabled areas now have access to fibre broadband, some may not be able to connect due to network topography and other technological factors. To be sure that you can get fibre broadband, check with your internet service provider.
Background
The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme aims to provide fibre broadband infrastructure to parts of Scotland not included in commercial providers’ investment plans. Combined with current commercial roll-out plans, 85 per cent of premises in Scotland will have access to fibre broadband by the end of 2015/16 and around 95 per cent by the end of 2017/18.
The Digital Scotland rollout consists of two projects – one covering the Highlands and Islands area and the other covering the rest of Scotland. Funding partners include the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund as well as BT.
The Rest of Scotland project is being supported through £157.6million public funding including £50 million from BDUK and BT’s private investment of £106.7million. The public funding includes funding from all 27 local authorities in the project area and additional funding from 14 local authorities who are investing around £51 million to increase coverage, meet local priorities and address the digital divide in their areas. Coupled with the investment in the Highlands and Islands region announced earlier in the year, it brings the total investment in fibre broadband in Scotland to more than £410 million.
The Rest of Scotland project area includes the following local authority areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, parts of Argyll & Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Midlothian, North Ayrshire (apart from the Islands), North Lanarkshire, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian.
The Highlands and Islands broadband project is being led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and includes the following local authority areas: Highland, Moray, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), parts of Argyll and Bute and part of North Ayrshire (Islands).
