High-speed fibre broadband for three Clydesdale villages

Hundreds of homes and businesses in villages including Coalburn, Douglas and Rigside are now able to receive fibre broadband for the first time.

Most of the latest local connections to be upgraded were previously exchange-only lines, a historic legacy of the copper network once thought to be out of the reach of high-speed fibre services.

Such lines run directly from the exchange to homes and business premises, bypassing the usual road-side cabinets that are a vital part of the fibre rollout.

Engineers worked out an innovative way to integrate these lines into the fibre network, laying hundreds of metres of new cable to reroute lines through extra roadside cabinets.

More than 750,000 premises across the country can now connect to their fastest-ever broadband speeds through the Digital Scotland rollout, with around 77,000 premises being reached by the project in the last six-month period.

Local people need to sign up for the new, faster services with an internet service provider as upgrades are not automatic.

Welcoming the new service, Clydesdale MSP Aileen Campbell said she is thrilled that significant progress is being made.

“There is still progress to be made across Clydesdale to our superfast broadband coverage,” she added.

“Broadband is not a luxury but an essential part of everyday life for businesses and families across Scotland.

“I am pleased that the Scottish Government’s intervention programme is reaching areas in Clydesdale where commercial providers hadn’t managed, and I wish the programme even more success in the future.

“I will continue to liaise with the providers to ensure that Clydesdale receives the best possible coverage.”