Highland boost for broadband coverage

Kablenet | August 11, 2005, 15:05 BST
Kablenet.com

£30m is being pumped into a programme in the Highlands and Islands to bring broadband to some of the UK's most isolated communities

Some of the most remote parts of the UK are now getting broadband coverage, says the Scottish Executive

People living and working in remote parts of the Scottish highlands are to receive broadband access, it was announced on 9 August, 2005.

The Scottish Executive is part funding a broadband programme for the Cairngorms which covers some of the most remote and mountainous areas in the UK. Other organisations involved in the £30m programme include Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, the EU Regional Development Fund (EDRF) and BT.

Visiting a telephone exchange near Aviemore, telecoms minister Tavish Scott said that the scheme would help Scotland to move ahead of G8 industrialised nations in broadband provision.

"The Scottish Executive is committed to providing every community access to affordable broadband services by the end of 2005," he said.

"Broadband is one of the most important technological developments of our time. While 95 percent of households and businesses already have access to it, we need to ensure that homes and businesses in rural areas, such as the Cairngorms, benefit as well.

"This initiative will mean that every community the length and breadth of Scotland will have access to broadband by the end of this year. This is another significant step on the road to making Scotland one of the best-connected nations in the world."

Through the Executive's Broadband for Scotland's Rural and Remote Areas Initiative, broadband connections are being installed in 378 exchanges serving 51,000 households and 5,400 businesses and organisations across Scotland. The initiative has been funded as part of the Executive's £24m broadband strategy, and has also received financial support of up to £5m from the ERDF.

+ Source: ZDnet UK here