08
May
2023
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Openreach starts Full Fibre broadband build in Falkirk

Openreach is starting work to build a new ultrafast broadband network for Falkirk – giving residents and businesses access to some of the fastest, most reliable broadband anywhere in the UK.

The digital network business also announced this week that Grangemouth will be added to its Full Fibre broadband build plans.

The once-in-a-generation, full fibre broadband upgrade will let thousands of local people and businesses connect multiple devices at gigabit-capable speeds and help businesses to trade online and compete for decades to come.

The Falkirk build will reach the majority of local homes and businesses in the town. Openreach also plans to extend its full fibre network in other parts of the local authority area, including Stenhousemuir, Shieldhill and Larbert. More than 10,000 households and businesses across the district can already upgrade to the new Openreach network.

Full fibre broadband provides more reliable, resilient and future-proof connectivity, with fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds; and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands.

Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, leader of Falkirk Council, said: “Access to ultrafast broadband is becoming more and more essential for both residents and businesses across the country. Seeing the proposed work happening in a number of areas in the Falkirk district is encouraging and will offer many advantages as the programme is rolled out. We look forward to seeing it completed.”

Local people can use the postcode checker to see the latest plans for their area and register for updates as the build progresses.  

Robert Thorburn, partnership director for Openreach Scotland, said: “We’re all set to bring ultrafast broadband to Falkirk and we want to let local people know what to expect.

“It’s a major infrastructure upgrade, so there will be more engineering teams, equipment and vans around town, and we're working closely with Falkirk Council to keep disruption to a minimum.

“Wherever possible, we’ll use our existing network of ducts and poles to avoid roadworks, new street furniture and disturbance. But there may be places where we need to install new poles, underground ducts and fibre cables because it’s the only way to make sure households get included in the upgrade.

“We’re using the latest technology, like tiny underground cameras that inspect ducts for blockages and help us avoid digging up the streets wherever possible.” 

He added: “We’re really excited to be adding Grangemouth to our investment plans and ramping up our build around Falkirk, where our build partner Kier is helping to deliver on the ground. Ultrafast broadband makes it much easier to do everything you want online and has big benefits for local economies.”

David Diskin, managing director of Kier’s telecoms business, added: “We are proud to be part of the Openreach full fibre roll out, working hand in hand to make sure the residents and businesses in and around Falkirk have access to the broadband infrastructure they deserve.

“We look forward to continuing to work alongside our Openreach partners to roll out more full fibre across Scotland. Our teams have the capacity and the skills to realise Openreach’s plan and help deliver a broadband network across Scotland that’s fit for today’s digital world.”

Openreach’s new ultrafast full fibre network in Scotland now reaches more than 850,000 properties, and the company plans to roll out the new technology to 25 million homes. You can find out more about the benefits of an upgrade to full fibre broadband on our Full Fibre broadband page.