19
June
2015
|
13:03
Europe/London

Fibre broadband boost for Stirling

Summary
More than 1,900 homes and businesses in Stirling are now able to connect to fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, with more to follow.

More than 1,900 homes and businesses in Stirling are now able to connect to fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, with more 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 Tesco supermarket on Wallace Street on Saturday June 27 between 10am and 3pm. Anyone in the local community interested in finding out how fibre broadband works and the benefits it can provide is welcome to attend.

The local premises are among more than 275,000 across Scotland which can now access fibre broadband services at speeds of up to 80Mbps* as part of the £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband rollout. Coupled with BT’s commercial rollout, it means nearly 15,000 Stirling premises can now get connected to high-speed fibre broadband services.

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 900 new cabinets now installed across the country to house the fibre connections, the project underpins the Scottish Government’s aim of delivering world class connectivity by 2020.

Some homes and businesses in the Stirling area are currently served by ‘Exchange Only’ lines - which run directly from the exchange to the premises, bypassing the usual road-side cabinets which are integral to the fibre rollout. Engineers will be rearranging the existing network and laying new cables to reroute lines through extra road-side cabinets to overcome this challenge.

Members of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme will be on hand at the Tesco event 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.

Stirling Council Deputy Leader, Neil Benny, said: "It's really exciting to hear that so many homes and businesses in and around Stirling are already able to connect to fibre broadband.

"Improving speed and access to the internet is a key priority for Stirling Council so it's great to see this project contributing towards that aim."

Sara Budge, Programme Director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It’s great news that many residents and businesses in and around Stirling are now able to receive fibre broadband thanks to the programme, with more local coverage to follow.

“I’m also excited that we’ll have our brand new Digital Scotland fibre showcase there. This will give residents an interesting and detailed idea of what fibre broadband can provide and how exactly it’s delivered.

“The difference that fibre broadband can make is amazing, giving much more flexibility whether it’s at work or in the home. I hope that local residents will come along to the event on Wallace Street to 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 of people in Stirling now have access to their best ever broadband speeds, and more are set to follow. As the fibre network extends across Stirlingshire, making the most of it is vital. I hope local people and businesses in the area will soon be taking advantage of all the opportunities on offer.”

Users 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).

About BDUK

Superfast Britain is a UK Government programme of investment in broadband and communication infrastructure across the UK. Run by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, this investment helps businesses to grow, creates jobs and will make Britain more competitive in the global race. The portfolio is comprised of three elements:

  • £780m to extend superfast broadband to 95% of the UK by 2017
    • £150m to provide high speed broadband to businesses in 22 cities
    • £150m to improve quality and coverage of mobile phone and basic data network services
  • Administered on behalf of Government by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), Superfast Britain is transforming Britain by promoting growth, enabling skills and learning, and improving quality of life.

    For further information: https://www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk