More premises across Dumfries and Galloway can now upgrade to faster fibre broadband through the £428 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband rollout.
Thanks to the programme more than 900,000 premises across Scotland are able to connect to the new network, which has now reached Johnston Bridge along with additional premises in places like Cross Michael, Dunscore, and Kirkcudbright.
Across the country around 500 new fibre street cabinets are now live and more than 11,800km of cable has been laid by engineers from Openreach, who are continuing work on the ground into 2019.
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. Local people need to sign up for the new, faster services with an internet service provider, as upgrades are not automatic.
Delivered through two projects – led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in its area and the Scottish Government in the rest of Scotland – funding partners include the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), BT Group, local authorities and the EU via the European Regional Development Fund.
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.
Crucially, thanks to additional investment as a result of innovation and new funding generated by stronger than expected take-up, the programme will deliver new DSSB deployment in every local authority area during 2018 and into 2019, complementing ongoing commercial build across Scotland.
Michael Matheson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity said: “Fast and reliable internet is absolutely vital to communities across Scotland. It helps businesses stay connected with customers and colleagues, and helps families learn, work, play and shop.
“It is fantastic that more premises in Dumfries and Galloway are now able to connect to fibre broadband thanks to Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. The Scottish Government is not stopping there. Our Reaching 100% programme, backed by an initial £600 million investment, plans to deliver superfast broadband access to every home and business in Scotland by the end of 2021 – the only part of the UK to do so.”
Robert Thorburn, Fibre Partnership Director for Openreach in Scotland, said: “The Digital Scotland project and our hard-working engineers have delivered more coverage at faster speeds than expected. As we mark another major milestone, it’s fantastic that work will continue into 2019 thanks to extra funds generated through innovation, partnership efficiencies and strong take-up.
“Some of the latest properties passed by the new network – including hundreds across 18 communities such as the Annan, Auldgirth, Kettleholm, Kirkinner, Langholm and New Abbey exchange areas – can now connect to the most reliable and fastest residential broadband available as we’re using more Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) to help these harder-to-reach homes join the digital revolution.
“Good connectivity is essential to a strong local economy and lets people live, learn, work and build businesses locally. We’re proud to be a partner in helping communities across Dumfries and Galloway reach their digital potential.”
