Key partnership brings rural communities UK’S fastest broadband speeds

0 Openreach’s partnership director, Rob Thorburn Remote Highland communities and businesses scattered across 26 miles of rugged terrain are set to receive what are billed the UK’S fastest broadband speeds, due to a “unique” partnership.

Some 140 homes from Achnasheen to Aultguish in Rossshire, including tiny settle- ments and hamlets, will be upgraded to ultra-fast technology by the end of the year.

It will see their broadband speeds soar from around 0.5 megabits per second to the UK’S fastest residential speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

Two-thirds of the properties will receive fibre-to-thepremises (FTTP) from the £428 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, led locally by Highland and Islands Enterprise, while the rest will receive a full-fibre upgrade through a Community Fibre Partnership with telecoms giant Openreach.

The project follows a year of research by the voluntary group Garve and District Broadband.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach partnership director for Scotland, said: “The challenges facing the Garve and District communities were phenomenal and they’ve worked incredibly hard to develop a unique solution.

“With a collaborative, multipartner approach and a fierce will among the community to dig in and deliver, this is a truly brilliant - and unique - example of what can be achieved.”

Meanwhile, East Lothian village Gifford has become another unlikely location for some of the country’s quickest broadband speeds, thanks to an initiative between Lothian Broadband and Commsworld.

Charlie Boisseau, chief technology at Scottish telecoms firm Commsworld said: “Gifford is now one of the bestconnected villages in Scotland and it is testament to the great work carried out.”