Ultrafast broadband in Lochside of Leys

West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie this week visited Openreach engineers building a full fibre broadband network for a new housing development in Banchory.

The MP visited Lochside of Leys to see innovative engineering techniques and hear about the next generation of full fibre broadband technology, which brings more reliable, faster broadband to Scottish communities.

The future-proof, ‘full-fibre’ services going directly into the new build homes are capable of carrying speeds up to 1Gbps* - around 18.5 times faster than the UK’s current average. Also known as Fibre-to-the-Premises or FTTP, the technology offers future-proof connectivity; fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds and greater capacity to easily meet ever-growing data demands in the future.

New research from Cebr predicts that full fibre for everyone in Scotland by 2025 would generate an economic impact of £4.55 billion and boost the workforce by 37,400.

Andrew Bowie MP said: “As we move towards full fibre in Scotland, it’s been useful to understand first-hand how engineers install the latest, most resilient technology directly into people’s homes. While we are in the early days of this journey, I welcome Openreach’s efforts to make sure that new housing like these in Lochside of Leys will be fit for the future, helping to keep rural communities connected and our vital local economy thriving.

“There is still work to be done to make sure that everyone has high speed internet access, but I would wholeheartedly encourage residents in Banchory to check whether they can already benefit from faster services, as the switch isn’t automatic.”

The Lochside of Leys new build development is one of many in Scotland to be included in Openreach’s rollout of full fibre technology, working with developers. Engineers have also built small deployments of full fibre in Banchory as part of the Digital Scotland partnership programme led by the Scottish Government. Local people can check what services are available to them on the Openreach fibre checker.

Openreach plans to bring full fibre broadband to four million premises by the end of March 2021 and ultimately the majority of the UK, if the conditions are right to invest.

The visit was hosted by Vicky Macadam, head of public affairs for Openreach in Scotland, who said: “We understand the importance of effective, reliable broadband services to local people across Scotland. We are working hard with a range of partners to bring reliable, fast broadband to people in Aberdeenshire and Kincardine. We enjoyed sharing the benefits and challenges of our work with Andrew Bowie MP, as our skilled engineers continue working to achieve our ambitious plans.”

Openreach’s fibre-based network in Scotland currently passes more than 2.6 million homes and business premises, predominantly with Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) technology at speeds of up to 80Mbps*.

Notes to editors

*These are wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary. FTTP is capable of delivering the fastest residential broadband speeds in the UK – up to 1Gbps – fast enough to download a two hour HD movie in 25 seconds or a 45-minute HD TV programme in just five seconds.

Photo caption: Andrew Bowie MP examines the new full fibre broadband network with Openreach engineer Stewart Williamson.