Pupils from Lairdsland Primary School in Kirkintilloch jumped on board the Digital Scotland Fibre Showcase this week to learn all about high-speed fibre broadband.

Students were joined by the Digital Scotland team on Thursday to learn about how fibre broadband is rolled out and all the opportunities and benefits it could have for their school work.

More than 4,200 households and businesses in Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs can now access high-speed fibre services thanks to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. Local people need to sign up for the new services with an internet service provider, as upgrades are not automatic.

There are around 10,000 across East Dunbartonshire which are now able to access fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland rollout. Other areas where fibre has gone live thanks to the programme include Balmore, Bearsden, Lennoxtown and Milngavie.

More areas are planned in the coming months as engineers from Openreach, BT’s local network business, continue work on the ground.

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.

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

It includes kit which is familiar to members of the public - like the new green street cabinets - as well as some of the things they don’t often see, such as how fibre-optic cables are ‘blown’ underground.

Sara Budge, Programme Director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It’s great news that many residents and businesses in and around Kirkintilloch and Bishopbriggs 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, as well as giving them the chance to think of future careers.

“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.”

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 plan, the programme will deliver access to fibre broadband to around 95% of premises by the end of March 2018.

Liz Mallinson, BT Scotland’s Fibre Broadband Director, added: “We welcomed the chance to give local pupils an insight into how high-speed technology powers the internet and learn about a very positive side to a career in engineering.

“Thousands of East Dunbartonshire residents now have the opportunity to access their best ever broadband speeds when they sign up with a service provider. Many local people are already taking advantage of the faster speeds now available 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.