MORE premises across in the Cowdenbeath area can now upgrade to faster fibre broadband through the £428 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband rollout.

Thanks to the programme more than 900,000 premises across Scotland are able to connect to the new network, which has now reached additional premises in places like Ceres, Crail, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, St. Andrews and Kelty.

Across the country around 500 new fibre street cabinets are now live and more than 11,800km of cable has been laid by engineers from Openreach, who are continuing work on the ground into 2019.

Fibre broadband offers fast and reliable broadband connections at speeds of up to 80Mbps1and there are many suppliers in the marketplace to choose from. Local people need to sign up for the new, faster services with an internet service provider, as upgrades are not automatic.

Delivered through two projects – led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in its area and the Scottish Government in the rest of Scotland – funding partners include the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), BT Group, local authorities and the EU via the European Regional Development Fund.

Whether you own a business, work from home or want to keep in touch with friends and family, fibre broadband enables multiple users to connect to the internet at high speeds.

Michael Matheson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity said: “Fast and reliable internet is absolutely vital to communities across Scotland. It helps businesses stay connected with customers and colleagues, and helps families learn, work, play and shop.

“It is fantastic that more premises in Fife are now able to connect to fibre broadband thanks to Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. The Scottish Government is not stopping there. Our Reaching 100% programme, backed by an initial £600 million investment, plans to deliver superfast broadband access to every home and business in Scotland by the end of 2021 – the only part of the UK to do so.”

Councillor Altany Craik, (Convener - Economy, Tourism. Strategic Planning & Transportation Committee) from Fife Council said: “I am pleased that more areas across Fife can now access fibre broadband thanks to the programme and more people are now able to get a superfast speed. Whether you are downloading a box set, a small business making transactions or just keeping in touch with friends, fibre broadband can make it all happen easily".

Robert Thorburn, Fibre Partnership Director for Openreach in Scotland, said: “The Digital Scotland project and our hard-working engineers have delivered more coverage at faster speeds than expected.

“Good connectivity is essential to a strong local economy and lets people live, learn, work and build businesses locally. We’re proud to be a partner in helping communities across Fife reach their digital potential.”