Gfast on its way to towns

Rutherglen and Cambuslang are among communities across the greater Glasgow area who will benefit from the latest ultrafast broadband.

Gfast offers download speeds up to 330Mbps – about seven times the UK average. People using Gfast can download a two hour HD film in just 90 seconds, a 45 minute HD TV show in 16 seconds and a nine hour audio book in three seconds.

Openreach, the business responsible for Britain’s largest phone and broadband network, has so far made the technology available to more than 390,000 homes and businesses ahead of a nationwide rollout, which will see ultrafast broadband reaching 12 million UK premises by 2020.

Rutherglen and Cambuslang are listed among communities who will be part of a pilot focussing on Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Andrew Hepburn, Openreach’s infrastructure delivery director in Scotland, said:“The amount people are doing online and at the same time, from streaming high definition movies, TV, gaming and online shopping to using mobile devices over wireless broadband, is growing every year and this pace shows no sign of slowing.

“We need to stay ahead in order to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Gfast will allow us to do that by building on the investment we have made in fibre to date. It will transform the UK broadband landscape from superfast to ultrafast, and it will reach the largest number of people in the quickest possible time.”

The rollout of Gfast builds on the existing deployment of fibre technology across both cities, where more than 98 per cent per cent of homes and businesses have access to high-speed broadband.

Mr Hepburn added:“Pilot schemes, such as the ones in Glasgow and Edinburgh, are important for us to fully test the new network in a number of different situations before it reaches millions of homes and businesses across the UK.

“We’d encourage anybody in one of the pilot areas to take part. You can check if you’re eligible with the Openreach fibre checker by entering your postcode or telephone number.”

Anybody wanting more information or wishing to check if they can get Gfast should visit www. openreach.co.uk/ultrafast.