Residents in Tillicoultry can now access some of the best fibre broadband speeds thanks to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.

Around 2,400 households and businesses in the Tillicoultry area can now access high-speed fibre services through the £410 million Digital Scotland roll-out.

The premises are among more than 5,200 in Clackmannanshire which are now able to access fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland rollout. Other areas now live thanks to the programme include Coalsnaughton, Dollar, Muckhart and Menstrie, with additional coverage in Alloa and Alva building on BT’s existing commercial network there.

More local coverage will follow as engineers from Openreach, BT’s local network business, continue work on the ground.

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

Across Scotland, around 620,000 premises are now able to connect to fibre-based services through the Digital Scotland project, led by the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

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 March 2018.

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.

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

“The difference that fibre broadband can make is amazing. Once signed up with a service provider, it will give much more flexibility whether it’s at work or in the home."

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

“Many local people are already enjoying the benefits and we’d urge others to consider the benefits of a move to a fibre service. There’s lots of competition out there and people may find they could be surfing at much higher speeds at a similar cost to their current service.”

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

*These are the top wholesale speeds available from Openreach to all service providers; speeds offered by service providers may vary.