03
December
2018
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband celebrates more fibre broadband in South Ayrshire

Summary

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband team is celebrating the latest fibre broadband availability in Girvan, South Ayrshire. They were joined by senior pupils from Girvan Primary School to unveil the latest fibre street cabinet that serves part of the local area. The Girvan premises are among more than 16,700 across South Ayrshire now able to connect to the Digital Scotland network.

 

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband team is celebrating fibre broadband availability in the South Ayrshire town of Girvan. They were joined by senior pupils from Girvan Primary School to unveil the latest fibre street cabinet that serves part of the local area.

The Girvan premises are among more than 16,700 homes and businesses across South Ayrshire that are now able to connect to the Digital Scotland network, which has also reached places like Alloway, Barrhill and Barr.

Some of the latest properties passed by the new network – including dozens in Ayr exchange area – can now connect to the most reliable and fastest residential broadband available as the programme uses more Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) to help these harder-to-reach homes join the digital revolution. Work is ongoing, with Openreach engineers continuing work on the ground into 2019.

Local people can check the Digital Scotland website to find out if they are able to access the latest fibre broadband technology. People need to sign up with an internet service provider, as upgrades are not automatic.

Councillor Brian McGinley, Economy and Culture Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council, said: “This is a real boost for residents and business in Girvan and the surrounding area. It’s great that more of our villages have access to Superfast Broadband, which is vital if we’re to grow our rural economy. The difference that Superfast Broadband can make is remarkable and it can easily cope with business or home access through tablets, phones or computers all at the same time."

Fibre broadband offers fast and reliable broadband connections at speeds of up to 80Mbps1 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.

Sara Budge, Programme Director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It’s fantastic news that the programme has been able to benefit residents and businesses in and around Girvan.

“I would like to thank the pupils from Girvan Primary School for joining us to unveil the latest fibre street cabinet and I am glad to see that it has been able to benefit the local community.”

Digital Scotland funding partners include the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, BT Group, the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund. BT Group is investing £126 million in the rollout, and the total project value includes around £18 million which is being reinvested back in to the programme as a result of stronger than expected take-up.

Robert Thorburn, Partnership Director for Openreach in Scotland, said: “The Digital Scotland project and our hard-working engineers have delivered more coverage across the country at faster speeds than expected.

“The latest upgrades in South Ayrshire include more deployment of future-proof, ultrafast FTTP, which we’re increasingly using in areas where it’s the best technical solution.

“We’re proud to be a partner in helping South Ayrshire communities to reach their digital potential. We know there’s more to be done, and we’re committed to doing all we can with partners to bring better broadband to everyone.”

Further information is available on Twitter @ScotSuperfast or Facebook at www.facebook.com/scotlandsuperfast.

ENDS
* These are the top wholesale speed available over the Openreach FTTC and FTTP networks 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 areas will be able to access fibre-based broadband at the same point in the roll-out.

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme aims to provide fibre broadband infrastructure to parts of Scotland not included in commercial providers’ investment plans, and has reached around 95 per cent of premises when combined with current commercial roll-out plans.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.