Households in Helensburgh and Lomond have been connected to better broadband speeds thanks to a Scottish Government initiative.
Full fibre technology is now available to 40,000 of Scotland’s hardest-to-connect properties, with the government's £600m Reaching 100% (R100) rollout reaching homes in places like Arden, Cardross, Helensburgh and Rhu.
Full fibre broadband is more than 30 times faster than the Scottish Government’s original commitment to make superfast services available to homes and businesses with existing connections of less than 30 Megabits per second (Mbps).
R100 registrations help Openreach to plan the best way to meet the level of demand in each community. Once full fibre is available, people can arrange for their service to be upgraded through their chosen provider.
Scotland's innovation minister Richard Lochhead said: “It’s hugely important for homes and businesses to benefit from a full-fibre upgrade in places.
“The R100 contracts are delivering future-proofed digital infrastructure that will underpin economic growth and enhance the economic prospects of communities across Scotland, for decades to come.
“Digital connectivity is transforming how we live our lives. It connects us in new and different ways, improving public services and helping businesses develop new products and reduce costs.”
R100 registrations help Openreach plan the best way to meet the level of demand in each community. Once full fibre is available, people can arrange for their service to be upgraded through their chosen provider.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach partnership director for Scotland, said: “The R100 programme is bringing fast, reliable broadband to the hardest-to-reach places in Scotland, with lots of new work starting in the weeks and months ahead.
“We’re working with Argyll and Bute Council and our build partners to plan and deliver this huge civil undertaking with the least possible disruption to residents.
“It’s a complex build and our engineers and operatives may need to install new poles or ducts and cables to reach some households, so we want local people to be aware of the important work they’re doing.
“It’s a once-in-a-generation build which will give Scotland’s least connected premises access to the best, most reliable broadband around.”
People in Helensburgh and Lomond can check if the rollout has reached their address yet and register for updates by visiting openreach.co.uk/r100.
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