Superfast broadband goes live in Annan
Superfast broadband has arrived in Annan - thanks to the roll-out of the £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.
Its arrival in the Dumfries & Galloway town means that almost 4,800 local businesses and households, including around 500 premises in Eastriggs, are able to benefit from fibre broadband, with 10 new fibre street cabinets now enabled and one more to follow to complete the planned local deployment.
The installation of the new infrastructure is part of the roll out of the programme across Scotland being delivered on the ground by BT’s local network business, Openreach. Any resident who wants to receive fibre broadband should contact their chosen service provider to find out more about available services and prices.
The Annan premises are among thousands across Scotland which are due to see fibre broadband services offering speeds of up to 80Mbps rolling out this winter. Fibre broadband enables multiple users in a home or business to access the internet, download and share large files at the same time and more quickly than ever before.
Sarah Eynon, the Scottish Government’s commercial director of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, welcomed the arrival of fibre broadband in her home town of Annan.
She said: “This is a really important milestone for local people and businesses. By extending fibre broadband access to places like Annan, that wouldn’t otherwise be served commercially, we are building the foundations of a world class digital Scotland.
“It’s well established that the availability of fibre broadband generates real economic benefits, including new jobs and increased productivity, and I hope local people will be enthused by this development and consider joining the super-fast revolution.
“It’s a privilege to be working at the heart of the Digital Scotland roll-out and see the real, tangible benefits it is delivering to communities like my home town.”
The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband initiative consists of two projects – one covering the Highlands and Islands area and the other covering the rest of Scotland. BT is investing £126 million in the partnership programme, in addition to its £2.5bn UK commercial rollout of fibre broadband.
BT Scotland director Brendan Dick said: “Annan is among the first places in Dumfries and Galloway to benefit from the Digital Scotland deployment and many more are set to follow.
“Fibre broadband opens up all sorts of new possibilities for everyone – whether you’re a family with a big demand for bandwidth or a business wanting to boost operations with a faster connection. It’s an investment in the future and the long-term economic prosperity of the whole community.”
He added: “Delivering a project on this scale is one of the most significant technological challenges we’ve faced anywhere in the UK in recent years, and it’s great to see this major step forward for Annan and the other local communities which will benefit.”
In total, more than three quarters of a million homes and business premises are expected to benefit from the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband initiative. Funding partners include the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities and the European Development Fund as well as BT.
Westminster Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said: “This fantastic news marks the next stage of a remarkable transformation of broadband in Dumfries and Galloway and beyond, which will see around 95 per cent of premises in Scotland connected to fibre broadband infrastructure by 2017/18.
“We understand how important access to superfast broadband is, which is why the UK Government is investing more than £100m in broadband for Scotland. The widespread access to superfast broadband that our rollout will deliver will provide a tremendous boost to the Scottish economy.”
Further information about the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband roll-out is available atwww.digitalscotland.org
Background
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
