Openreach announces another 50 Scottish communities to get “full fibre” broadband

OPENREACH says it will bring “full fibre” broadband to another 272,000 Scottish homes and businesses.

More than 50 communities will benefit from the £95m investment, according to the firm.

The network is used by customers of service providers including BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone.

Inverness and East Kilbride are the largest locations to benefit, with Ecclefechan in Dumfries and Galloway and Stow in Scottish Borders among the smallest.

The island communities of Rothesay on Bute, Whiting Bay on Arran and Port Ellen on Islay are also included.

Katie Milligan, Chair of the Openreach Board in Scotland, said: “We’re delighted to be unveiling another broadband boost right across the country.

“Good connectivity is vital – whether it’s to work from home, access education and care services, or for gaming and streaming entertainment – and that’s why we’re investing across the UK to upgrade our network to 25 million premises.”

Milligan added: “Many rural and hard to reach communities are already benefitting and we plan to reach many more in the coming months and years.”

Scottish Government Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said: “Digital connectivity is more vital than ever and critical to Scotland’s plans for a strong, green and fair economic recovery.

“With Openreach’s latest commercial investment of £95m, this will ensure more than 50 of our communities across Scotland will be able to access even faster full-fibre broadband.”

Across the UK, more than 1.3 million homes and businesses have already ordered a full fibre service from a range of retail service providers using the Openreach network.

Recent research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) highlighted the clear economic benefits of connecting everyone in Scotland to full fibre. It estimated this would create a £4.5bn boost to the local economy.

Openreach employs more than 3,200 people across Scotland.

The table below lists all the communities covered by the firm’s latest expansion plan.