Ultrafast broadband boost for Rutherglen
Openreach is building a new ultrafast broadband network for Rutherglen – giving residents and businesses access to some of the fastest, most reliable broadband anywhere in Europe.
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.
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.
Residents can enjoy a host of online services and entertainment, with seamless streaming and smooth online gaming. The technology also supports day-to-day, business critical tasks like video calls, banking and online customer interactions.
Local people can visit openreach.co.uk/ultrafastfullfibre to register for updates and, as the build progresses, check their addresses to see when services are available from their chosen provider.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, said: “We’re bringing ultrafast broadband to Rutherglen and we want to let local people what we’re doing.
“This is a major infrastructure upgrade, so there will be more engineering teams, equipment and vans around town, and we're working hard 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.”
He added: “Rutherglen is part of our balanced build across Scotland, which includes more than 200 rural towns and villages. We want to make sure that progress is evenly spread and that people in all parts of Scotland can be online effortlessly and build opportunities in their community. Connecting everyone in Scotland to our fastest and most reliable broadband would result in a multi-billion pound economic boost.”
Openreach’s new ultrafast Full Fibre network in Scotland now reaches more than 950,000 properties, and the company plans to roll out the new technology to 25 million homes and businesses in the UK by the end of 2026.
Openreach build partner Circet is helping to deliver the investment in Rutherglen.
Alan O’Prey, Circet UK CEO, said: “It is great to be working with Openreach to bring better broadband to people and businesses in Rutherglen. Our teams are getting lots of interest in what they are doing – there is lots of local demand for faster, more reliable broadband. We are working hard to make sure there’s as little disturbance as possible, and we would like to thank the community for their patience and support while we deliver their new ultrafast broadband network.’’
