Fibre showcase brings a broadband boost for Jedburgh
Digital Scotland’s mobile Showcase is rolling into Jedburgh next week (August 12) to help local people find out more about the benefits of fibre broadband.
Around 2,100 households and businesses in the Jedburgh area can now access high-speed fibre services through the £410 million Digital Scotland roll-out.
The premises join more than 24,700 in the Scottish Borders which are now able to access fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland rollout. Other areas now live thanks to the programme include Denholm, Duns, St. Boswells, Clovenfords, Lilliesleaf, Eddleston, Morebattle, Leitholm and Gattonside.
More local coverage will follow as engineers from Openreach, BT’s local network business, continue work on the ground.
Local people need to sign up for the new services with an internet service provider, as upgrades are not automatic.
Across Scotland, around 620,000 premises are now able to connect to fibre-based services through the Digital Scotland project, led by the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and delivered on the ground by Openreach, BT’s local network business.
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 drop-in event on Market Square between 10.30 and 12.30 on Friday August 12. The showcase will then move outside the Co-operative Store, Jewellers Wynd, between 1pm and 3pm.
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.
Those who attend the event will be 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.
Members of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme will also 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.
Sara Budge, Programme Director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It’s great news that many residents and businesses in and around Jedburgh 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 are attending the event will find it insightful and I hope they enjoy visiting our showcase.”
Liz Mallinson, BT Scotland’s Fibre Broadband Director, added: “Thousands of residents in the Scottish Borders 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
Ends
*These are the top wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.
Notes to editors
Due to the current network topography and the economics of deployment, it is likely that not all premises within selected exchange areas will be able to access fibre-based broadband at the same point in the roll-out. Further announcements will be made as more areas are able to access the growing fibre infrastructure
