Broadband boost for Fife

More than 5,500 homes and businesses in Fife will be given access to fibre broadband.

It's part of the latest phase of the £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.

Anstruther, Cowdenbeath, Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, Fossoway, Glenrothes North and South, Kinglassie, Kelty, New Oakley and Strathmiglo have all been announced as the next areas to be passed by the Digital Scotland deployment of high-speed fibre broadband.

As a result of the engineering roll out by BT, which is already under way, around 55,000 homes and business across Scotland now have access to fibre broadband through the programme.

In total, more than three quarters of a million homes and business premises are expected to benefit.

During this winter, those included in today’s announcement will be able to access fibre broadband services at speeds of up to 80Mbps. Kinglassie and Strathmiglo will receive the high speed technology for the first time, while the other Fife locations will see additional premises connected as a result of building upon their existing, or planned, fibre broadband footprint.

The new infrastructure will mean that multiple users in a home or business will be able to access the internet and download and share large files at the same time and more quickly than ever before.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Today marks an important milestone for the people and businesses of Fife as well as for the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband partnership.

“This programme will lay the foundations of a world class digital Scotland, by extending fibre broadband access to parts of Scotland that wouldn’t otherwise be served commercially.

“The scale of the challenge of delivering fibre broadband into rural Scotland outstrips any other part of the UK and will generate significant economic benefits, including new jobs and increased productivity.

“This is an important step towards ensuring that Scotland has world-class digital connectivity by 2020 and will be a key factor in ensuring Scotland’s long-term economic prosperity.”

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband initiative consists of two projects – one covering the Highlands and Islands area and the other covering the rest of Scotland. Both projects are being delivered on the ground by BT, which is investing £126 million in the programme.

Brendan Dick, BT Scotland director, said: “The advent of fibre broadband in these latest communities will mean a major boost for local homes and businesses. With more adults working from home than ever before and more people shopping or watching TV online, today’s announcement will help Scotland work and play faster.

“We’re really proud of our role at the heart of Scotland, delivering critical infrastructure which helps the nation to compete on a world stage. We could only reach the parts of Fife that lay beyond commercial deployment by working with others, and I find it really heartening that so many of our smaller communities now stand to benefit. Our ongoing deployment of fibre across the country is one of the biggest civil engineering projects happening in Scotland today and will be to the advantage of generations to come.”

Depute council leader Lesley Laird, spokesperson for Economy and Planning said: “Fife is already benefitting from the Digital Scotland Programme with our recent launch in Falkland and most of St Andrews already connected to superfast broadband. This latest announcement further extends coverage in the Kingdom including some or our most important business and industrial areas. Our digital drop in session at Falkland Library recently was a great success with a steady stream of visitors coming to ask questions and learn more about superfast services. We are planning more drop in sessions which we hope people will find useful as the work to connect Fife gathers pace.”

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said: “This fantastic news marks the next stage of a remarkable transformation of broadband in Scotland which will see around 95 per cent of premises connected to fibre broadband infrastructure by 2017/18. We understand how important access to superfast broadband is, which is why the UK Government is investing more than £100m in broadband for Scotland. The widespread access to superfast broadband that our rollout will deliver will provide a tremendous boost to the Scottish economy.”

Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband funding partners include the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund, as well as BT.

Alongside the commercial roll-out of superfast broadband, the Digital Scotland programme will see around 95 per cent of premises in Scotland connected to fibre broadband infrast