More than 110,000 homes and businesses in Aberdeen city and shire are now part of the one million locations that have access to ultrafast broadband through Openreach’s Scottish network. This expansion has brought new full fibre services to around 70,000 households and businesses in the city and another 40,000 in Aberdeenshire, including areas like Ellon, Kintore, and Newmachar.
What’s remarkable is the innovative approach that Openreach engineers have taken to speed up the rollout. They’ve repurposed the city’s old cable TV network, which was initially built in the 1980s and unused for the past two decades. This smart move has allowed them to provide high-speed connectivity to thousands of Aberdeen homes without the need to dig up streets.
Areas like Ashgrove and Balgownie in Aberdeen, alongside Inverurie and Stonehaven, currently enjoy some of the highest levels of coverage. The rollout is expected to extend to more properties in Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Portlethen, and Alford over the next few months.
Openreach’s substantial investment of over £33.5 million in the local fibre network demonstrates a commitment to enhancing connectivity. The company is collaborating with the Scottish and UK Governments, particularly through initiatives like the Reaching 100% (R100) program and voucher schemes, to upgrade the most challenging-to-reach areas.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, expressed admiration for the engineers and build partners who have been instrumental in bringing the full fibre network to a million homes and businesses in Scotland. He emphasized the significance of their innovative approach in ‘rewiring’ Aberdeen’s old cable TV network with the latest fibre optics.
The transformational nature of this move is highlighted by the transition from 1980s cable TV to the modern way of consuming entertainment, where people stream shows, films, and sports events from multiple services and download the latest video games.
