New £5.4m full fibre network reaches 18,000 in Dunfermline
Thousands of residents in Dunfermline could be missing out on some of the fastest, most reliable broadband in Europe.
Openreach has spent more than £5.4m million[1] locally so far to build a new ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre network in Dunfermline, so far covering more than 18,000 homes and businesses – more than 60 per cent of premises in the city.
However, thousands of residents have yet to upgrade, with less than 27 per cent of households adopting the service where it’s available, lagging behind the UK average of 30 per cent.
The new technology is up to 16[2] times faster than the average UK broadband connection and around five times more reliable than the old copper-based network it’s replacing.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach’s Partnership Director for Scotland, said: “Research shows that this new network will give businesses an edge and provide families and home-workers with future-proof connectivity.
“We’re determined to deliver a great service which helps Dunfermline thrive and supports people to work from home easily, keep in touch with their loved ones and build connections and opportunities.
“However, thousands of people in the city could be missing out on the benefits of full fibre.
“Ultrafast broadband can have a huge impact on people’s lives and it’s great for the economy, but upgrades aren’t automatic. People need to place an order with their chosen providers to get connected and we’ll do the rest. Our network offers the widest choice of providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen – which means people have lots of choice and can get a great deal.
“Even if you already have a decent enough service, it’s worth checking if you can upgrade, because full fibre is the future, and it provides the best broadband experience at great value for money. There’ll be no more worrying that your video call might freeze, or your files are failing to upload when everyone’s at home competing for bandwidth at the same time.”
Residents will be able to enjoy a host of online services and entertainment, such as seamless streaming and smooth online gaming experiences. Meanwhile, businesses can operate with certainty that their broadband will support all their day-to-day, business critical tasks such as video calls, banking and customer interaction via social media platforms.
Openreach plans to reach 25 million UK homes and businesses by the end of 2026. You can find out more and register for updates by visiting openreach.co.uk/ultrafastfullfibre .
[1] Investment figure based on an average build cost of £300 per premises.
[2] Median averages more accurately reflect the experience of consumers, as average performance is not distorted by a comparatively small number of very fast connections. This approach is in line with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP)’s guidance on broadband speed claims.
