Thanks to the programme more than 900,000 premises across Scotland are able to connect to the new network. Latest programme figures show that 99.5% of premises across Clackmannanshire are now able to connect to fibre broadband along with commercial coverage.

The Digital Scotland team celebrated fibre availability in the Clackmannanshire town of Tillicoultry this week as they visited a fibre street cabinet that serves part of the local area. They were joined by Brian Forbes from the Ben Cleuch Centre and Councillor Donald Balsillie.

As part of the Tillicoultry Community Week, members of the public also got the chance to learn about technology on board the Digital Scotland Fibre Showcase.

The Tillicoultry premises are among around 7400 homes and businesses across Clackmannanshire that are now able to access fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland rollout.

Other areas in Clackmannanshire to benefit from the Digital Scotland rollout, led by the Scottish Government, include parts of Alloa, Devonside, Coalsnaughton and Menstrie. More local coverage will follow as engineers from Openreach - Scotland's digital network business - continue work on the ground.

Local people can check the Digital Scotland website - scotlandsuperfast.com - to find out if they are able to access the latest fibre broadband technology. People need to sign up with an internet service provider, as upgrades are not automatic.

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 Clackmannanshire 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 Donald Balsillie, Depute Provost of Clackmannanshire said: "I am delighted that 95.5% of premises across Clackmannanshire can now access fibre broadband with more people able to get a superfast speed. Whether it's young people getting better quality access to online services or doing their homework, parents downloading a box set, or businesses improving customer service, fibre broadband can make it happen easily."

Fibre broadband offers fast and reliable broadband connections at speeds of up to 80Mbps¹ 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. 

Sara Budge, Programme Director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: "It's fantastic news that the programme has been able to benefit residents and businesses in and around Tillicoultry.

"I would like to thank Councillor Donald Balsillie and Brian Forbes from the Ben Cleuch Centre and for joining us to celebrate fibre broadband availability in the area and I am glad to see that it has been able to benefit the local community."

Digital Scotland funding partners include the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, BT Group, the UK Government through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund. BT Group is investing £126 million in the rollout, and the total project value includes around £18 million which is being reinvested back in to the programme as a result of stronger than expected take-up.

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. As we mark another major milestone, it's fantastic that work will continue into 2019 thanks to extra funds generated through innovation, partnership efficiencies and strong take-up.

"Some of the latest properties passed by the new network can now connect to the most reliable and fastest residential broadband available as we're using more Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) to help these harder-to-reach homes join the digital revolution.

"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 Clackmannanshire reach their digital potential."

Further information is also available on Twitter @ScotSuperfast or Facebook at www.facebook.com/scotlandsuperfast

ENDS

1 and 2 These are the top wholesale speeds available over the Openreach networks to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.

2 FTTP is capable of delivering the fastest residential broadband speeds in the UK - up to 1Gbps. That's around 24 times the UK average speed of 44Mbps (according to Ofcom) and enough to stream 200 HD Netflix movies simultaneously, based on Netflix internet connection speed requirements.