Campbeltown set for a superfast broadband boost

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Campbeltown set for a superfast broadband boost

Postby Kintyre Forum News » Tue Feb 03, 2015 2:34 pm

Thousands more Scottish homes set for a superfast broadband boost

Further roll-out to island locations over the next six months


Parts of the Outer Hebrides, Mull and the Isle of Bute are among 43 places which are next in line for high-speed fibre broadband, through a massive public-private investment.

Across Scotland, 54,000 more households and businesses will be able to benefit from the new local networks being created by the latest Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband rollout, which also includes Moray, Highland, East and West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire (see list below). The first connections in the latest locations will start to go live this summer.

More than 216,000 homes and businesses can already get better connected - at speeds of up to 80Mbps* - thanks to the £410m Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband partnership. And now the project is reaching further into rural areas as engineers from BT’s local network business, Openreach, continue work on the ground.

The Moray village of Tomintoul in the Cairngorms National Park will become the highest in Scotland to be connected to high-speed fibre broadband.

Over the next six months residents in Stornoway in Lewis will see engineers build the local networks needed to bring fibre based broadband to almost 5,000 premises in the Outer Hebrides for the first time.

In Argyll and Bute the roll-out is ahead of schedule with Lochgilphead, Campbeltown and Rothesay all expected to see services from this summer – several months ahead of the planned 2016 roll-out.

And today on Orkney the project is announcing the first live services in Kirkwall, and the further roll-out to more island locations over the next six months.

John Swinney, Deputy First Minister, said: “We are seeing growing momentum in the roll-out of better broadband. Homes and businesses in rural communities from Lerwick in Shetland to Gretna in Dumfries and Galloway are already able to order. The project is developing a high speed fibre network which is changing the face of broadband and helping fulfil the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver world class connectivity in Scotland by 2020.

“We’re reaching out to those who would not have been covered through the commercial market - in cities, in towns and into some of our most rural areas. The connections will bring benefits to the Scottish people at home and in business.”
The Digital Scotland rollout consists of two projects. One is led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for its region and the other covers the rest of Scotland. Funding partners include the Scottish Government, HIE, the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities, the European Regional Development Fund and BT.

Stuart Robertson, Director of Digital at HIE, said: “With each step we bring fibre to communities which could not have hoped to receive it without this investment. The ambitious roll-out is a huge engineering challenge. The first of our Argyll islands and the Outer Hebrides will see connections over the next six months as a direct result of the successful laying of hundreds of miles of subsea cables over the summer. “In Orkney today we are announcing that more than 1,200 Kirkwall premises can now order fibre based broadband. Work will continue in Kirkwall and Stromness, as previously announced, and move on to St Margaret’s Hope, Deerness, Evie and others. “In Moray, where we have already reached half of all premises, we are bringing services to the Cairngorm National Park area and one of our highest locations - Tomintoul.”
Both projects are being delivered on the ground by BT, which is investing £126m in the programme.

Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “The completion of our massive sub-sea cable laying programme has allowed us to make early inroads into delivering fibre for some of our island communities, well ahead of schedule. It’s great to see this progress when we’re still in the relatively early stages of the Digital Scotland partnership. “Our fibre network passed around 10,000 new Scottish homes and businesses every week last year and we’ll continue to reach more and more communities in the course of this year. We’re very pleased to be playing our part to help connect the nation to fast fibre broadband and we know there’s still a lot to do.”

UK Government Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said: “Our nationwide rollout of superfast broadband continues at pace and it's fantastic to see the huge progress made in Scotland to date.

“Today's announcement of the next 43 places in Scotland to benefit from our investment will see another 54,000 more homes and businesses join the 216,000 properties we've already reached. This huge boost to connectivity is a key part of the Government's long term economic plan and we're on track to reach 95 per cent of the UK by 2017."

Fibre broadband enables multiple users in a home or business to access the internet, download and share large files at the same time and more quickly than ever before. As the higher speeds become available, anyone interested in signing up for fibre-based services should contact their service provider.

Users can check the interactive map on the Digital Scotland website at (http://www.digitalscotland.org/whereandwhen) to find out if they can get the service and further information is also available on Twitter @ScotSuperfast or Facebook at www.facebook.com/scotlandsuperfast
Ends
*These are the top wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.
Due to the current network topography, and the economics of deployment, it is likely that some premises within selected exchange areas will not be able to access fibre-based broadband at the same point in the roll-out. Further announcements will be made as more areas are able to access the growing fibre infrastructure.
Our deployment plans are subject to change. The expectations reflected in this plan are reasonable, but because our rollout involves risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ from those expressed or implied.
Notes
Areas being announced:
Local Exchange Name Local Authority Partnership New area/infill**
Campbeltown Argyll and Bute HIE New
Craignure Argyll and Bute HIE New
Lochgilphead Argyll and Bute HIE New
Rothesay Argyll and Bute HIE New
Balmore East Dunbartonshire ROS New
Glasgow Milngavie East Dunbartonshire ROS New
Lennoxtown East Dunbartonshire ROS New
Glasgow Baillieston* Glasgow City ROS New
Glasgow Central Glasgow City ROS New
Glasgow Clydebank* Glasgow City ROS New
Glasgow Possil Glasgow City ROS New
Glasgow Stepps* Glasgow City ROS New
Aviemore Highland HIE New
Corpach Highland HIE Infill
Cromarty Highland HIE New
Culbokie Highland HIE New
Drumchardine Highland HIE New
Duror Highland HIE New
Fearn Highland HIE Infill
Fortrose Highland HIE Infill
Grantown On Spey Highland HIE New
Invergordon Highland HIE Infill
Munlochy Highland HIE Infill
Urray Highland HIE New
Bridge of Weir* Inverclyde ROS New
Kilmacolm Inverclyde ROS New
Brodie Moray HIE New
Speybay Moray HIE New
Tomintoul Moray HIE New
Glasgow Baillieston* North Lanarkshire ROS New
Glasgow Stepps* North Lanarkshire ROS New
Burray Orkney HIE New
Deerness Orkney HIE New
Evie Orkney HIE New
Finstown Orkney HIE New
Harray Orkney HIE New
Holm Orkney HIE New
Kirkwall Orkney HIE Infill
St. Margaret's Hope Orkney HIE New
Stromness Orkney HIE Infill
Killin Perth and Kinross ROS New
Brediland Renfrewshire ROS New
Bridge of Weir* Renfrewshire ROS New
Glasgow Erskine Renfrewshire ROS New
Kilbarchan Renfrewshire ROS New
Glasgow Clydebank* West Dunbartonshire ROS New
Stornoway Western Isles HIE New

* These exchanges feature twice because they serve premises in more than one local authority. ** Infill is where the project is providing additional fibre broadband coverage in areas which already have existing or planned coverage.
About Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is an economic and community development agency delivering the Scottish Government’s economic strategy across a region which covers more than half of Scotland.

HIE, as part of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband project, is leading on one of the most complex fibre broadband deployment projects in the UK. We aim to deliver services to 84 per cent of premises across the Highlands and Islands by 2016, and are working to find ways to reach the remaining 16 per cent. As part of that we manage Community Broadband Scotland which works with communities across Scotland to help them find sustainable ways to get faster broadband.

Equally important is our work to provide specialist online and face-to-face support for businesses and communities to help them maximise the benefits of digital connectivity.

You can visit our website at http://www.hie.co.uk and follow us on Twitter @HIEScotland and @HIEdigital We’re on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/highlandsandislandsenterprise

About BDUK
Superfast Britain is a Government programme of investment in broadband and communication infrastructure across the UK. Run by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, this investment helps businesses to grow, creates jobs and will make Britain more competitive in the global race. The portfolio is comprised of three elements:
• £780m to extend superfast broadband to 95 per cent of the UK by 2017,
• £150m to provide high speed broadband to businesses in 22 cities,
• £150m to improve quality and coverage of mobile phone and basic data network services.
Administered on behalf of Government by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), Superfast Britain is transforming Britain by promoting growth, enabling skills and learning, and improving quality of life. For further information: www.gov.uk/broadband-delivery-uk

About BT
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed/mobile products and services.

BT consists principally of five lines of business: BT Global Services, BT Business, BT Consumer, BT Wholesale and Openreach. For the year ended 31 March 2014, BT Group’s reported revenue was £18,287m with reported profit before taxation of £2,312m.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York. For more information, visit www.btplc.com
Contact: Caroline Trainer: 0131 244 2797
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