London, UK – A significant milestone has been reached in Ayrshire, Scotland, with Openreach expanding its ultrafast broadband network to more than 100,000 homes and businesses in the region. This achievement signifies that over half of Ayrshire’s residents and companies now have access to some of the fastest and most dependable broadband services in Europe, with more expected to benefit later this year.
The deployment of Openreach’s ultrafast and highly reliable full-fibre network has had a notable impact across Ayrshire. In Kilmarnock, 80 percent of properties, totaling more than 25,000 homes and businesses, now have access to full fibre, with a third having already made the transition. Substantial portions of Ardrossan (85 percent) and Ayr (64 percent) have also become upgrade-ready.
This gigabit-capable technology offers speeds up to ten times faster than the UK’s average broadband connection and is approximately five times more reliable than the older copper-based network it replaces. However, despite the substantial progress, thousands of residents have yet to upgrade.
Currently, in the three local authority areas, 27 percent of households and businesses have made the switch to the new network in areas where it’s accessible, which means approximately 73,000 locations that could benefit from the upgrade have not done so yet. For example, in Troon, where nearly 6,000 properties can upgrade, only 16 percent have done so thus far.
One local business experiencing the benefits of full fibre is The Way Forward 2045, a family enterprise based in Cumnock. This business focuses on providing sustainable and low-carbon products. Wendy Pring, who founded the business with her son James, emphasized the critical role that full fibre broadband played in launching and growing their venture.
For The Way Forward 2045, fibre broadband is essential for ensuring a seamless customer experience and facilitating innovative approaches to engage customers and educate them about the environmental impact of their choices. Faster broadband also enables the business to stream events online, manage stock using cloud-based systems, and offer customers free Wi-Fi.
Openreach’s expansion of its full fibre network in Ayrshire will continue in 2023, with work ongoing in places like Kilwinning and West Kilbride. The Ayrshire Economic Joint Committee and local leaders are encouraged by the progress made so far and emphasize the importance of ensuring that all demographics and geographic areas have access to reliable broadband services.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach’s partnership director for Scotland, underlines the significance of this expansion and encourages people to place orders with their chosen providers to get connected to the ultrafast network. Openreach’s network offers a wide choice of providers, including BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, and Zen, providing residents with competitive pricing and improved services.
