​Perth and Kinross pupils get a lesson with fibre broadband

Pupils from Pitlochry and Crieff Primary Schools were superfast in finding out the benefits of fibre broadband when the Digital Scotland Fibre Showcase paid them a visit this week.

Around 1,700 households and businesses in Pitlochry and 3,800 in Crieff can now access high-speed fibre services thanks to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.

During the visits pupils were able to climb aboard the Digital Scotland Fibre Showcase, a unique vehicle which features equipment used in the roll-out of fibre broadband.

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

The local premises are among more than 645,000 homes and businesses across Scotland which are now able to access fibre broadband through the £410 million Digital Scotland rollout.

Other local areas to benefit from the programme include Killiecrankie, Logierait, Dalguise, Abernethy, Almondbank, Glenfarg, Burrelton and Gask. More local coverage will follow as engineers from Openreach, BT’s local network business, continue work on the ground.

Annette Beaton, the Head Teacher at Crieff Primary School, and her senior pupils helped with the celebrations at a special event on Thursday. They joined Councillor John Kellas, Convener of Enterprise and Infrastructure for Perth and Kinross Council, as well as members of the Digital Scotland team, to unveil one of the new street cabinets that will serve part of the town.

Fibre broadband offers fast and reliable broadband connections at speeds of up to 80Mbps* and there are many suppliers in the marketplace to choose from.

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 and get better, faster access to online services.

Councillor Kellas said: “It's good to see this project reaching more communities and giving an increasing number of homes and businesses the opportunity to connect to high-speed broadband. We are determined to make sure everyone in Perth and Kinross has access to digital services along with the skills and confidence to go online and use them, even from a young age.”

Annette Beaton said: “It was fantastic to have the Digital Scotland team visit the school and involve some of the pupils in helping launch the latest fibre broadband in the town. Having the fibre showcase at the school was also a great opportunity for pupils to see the amount of engineering work that’s involved in connecting up communities. It also showed them how beneficial it would be when it comes to their school work and various other aspects of their home life.”

Sara Budge, Programme Director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It’s great news that many residents and businesses in Pitlochry and Crieff are now able to receive fibre broadband thanks to the programme, with more local coverage to follow.

“I also hope that all the children at the school enjoyed visiting our Digital Scotland Fibre Showcase and found it insightful in finding out what fibre broadband can provide and how it’s delivered.”

Liz Mallinson, BT Scotland’s Fibre Broadband Director, concluded: “Thousands of people in Perth and Kinross now have the opportunity to access their best ever broadband speeds when they sign up with a service provider.

“We’d like to thank the school for having us – it’s great that local pupils were able to get an insight into how high-speed technology powers the internet and learn about a very positive side to a career in engineering.”

Local people can check the interactive map on the Digital Scotland website (http://www.scotlandsuperfast.com/where-when/) 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.

Notes to editors:

Due to the current network topography and the economics of deployment, it is likely that not all premises within selected exchange areas will be able to access fibre-based broadband at the same point in the roll-out.

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme aims to provide fibre broadband infrastructure to parts of Scotland not included in commercial providers’ investment plans. Combined with current commercial roll-out plans, the programme will deliver access to fibre broadband to around 95% of premises by the end of the current contract.

Funding partners include the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, BT, the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund.