Fibre showcase brings a broadband boost for Alyth
Digital Scotland’s mobile Showcase rolled into Alyth this week to help local people find out more about the benefits of fibre broadband.
More than 1,300 households and businesses in Alyth can now access high-speed fibre services thanks to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. Local people need to sign up for the new services with an internet service provider, as upgrades are not automatic.
The premises join around 21,600 in Perth and Kinross which are now able to access fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland rollout. Other local areas where fibre broadband is now live as part of the programme include Blairgowrie, building on the existing fibre network there; Kinross, Milnathort, Crieff, Comrie, Pitlochryand Coupar Angus.
More coverage will follow as engineers from BT’s local network business, Openreach, continue work on the ground.
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, the programme will deliver access to fibre broadband to around 95% of premises by the end of March 2018.
Fibre broadband offers fast and reliable broadband connections at speeds of up to 80Mbps* and there are many suppliers in the marketplace to choose from. Whether you own a business, work from home or want to keep in touch with friends and family, fibre broadband enables multiple users to connect to the internet at high speeds and get better, faster access to online services.
During the event in the town square, members of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme were on hand to get people up to speed with the technology and provide advice on areas such as signing up with a service provider.
Attendees were also able to climb aboard the Digital Scotland Fibre Showcase, a unique vehicle which features all of the equipment used in the roll-out of fibre broadband.
It includes kit 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.
A number of the homes and businesses in the Alyth area are served by ‘Exchange Only’ lines. These run directly from the exchange to the premises – bypassing the usual road-side cabinets which are integral to the fibre rollout. Engineers have rearranged the existing network, laying new cables to reroute lines through extra road-side cabinets, to overcome this challenge, with further work planned.
Sara Budge, Programme Director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It’s great news that many residents and businesses in and around Alyth are now able to receive fibre broadband thanks to the programme, with more local coverage to follow.
“The difference that fibre broadband can make is amazing. Once signed up with a service provider, it will give much more flexibility whether it’s at work or in the home.
“I hope those who attended the event found it insightful and enjoyed visiting our showcase.”
Liz Mallinson, BT Scotland’s Fibre Broadband Director, added: “Thousands of residents in Perth and Kinross now have the opportunity to access their best ever broadband speeds when they sign up with a service provider. Many local people are already enjoying the benefits and we’d urge others to consider the benefits of a move to a fibre service. There’s lots of competition out there and people may find they could be surfing at much higher speeds at a similar cost to their current service.”
Local people can check the interactive map on the Digital Scotland website (http://www.scotlandsuperfast.com/where-when/) 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
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