The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Broadband joy in north
New ultrafast connection
Ultrafast broadband has started to go live across a swath of the Highlands in a much-needed step forward for connectivity in the north.
Around 140 homes from Achnasheen to Aultguish will have access to broadband 2,000 times faster than the current top speed by the year’s end.
This comes after a year of research by the voluntary group Garve and District Broadband (GDB) that concluded a resilient, fullfibre network was needed
“Prerequisite for attracting families and businesses”
to “future-proof ” internet links.
The biggest changes will be vastly improved reliability, capacity and speed allowing a hugely expanded online experience.
In Achnasheen, about 90% of premises can order ultrafast service with Achanalt, Lochluichart, Corriemoillie, Little Garve, Gorstan, Grudie and Inchbae to follow.
The project is being funded by Lochluichart Community Trust’s windfarm benefit funds, Openreach, the Digital Scotland project and the UK Government’s Better Broadband scheme.
Around two-thirds of the homes will get top end Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) and the rest will get a full-fibre upgrade with a possible future expansion to FTTP.
The move comes amid evidence the Highlands still lags well behind the rest of the country when it comes to both fast and reliable internet as well as mobile 4G services.
This year First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the £146 million Digital Highlands and Islands rollout would seek to connect almost 150,000 premises by next year.
Community spokesman Steve Jones said: “Fast, reliable broadband will bring huge potential to regenerate our scattered communities.
“It’s a prerequisite for attracting families and businesses to the area, where the population has fallen in recent years.
“People now expect good internet as a basic.”
Businesses throughout the region are looking forward to the benefits of access to the new network.
Craig Duffield, a partner at Ledgowan Lodge hotel in Achnasheen, believes it will “make a huge difference,” adding “many of our visitors are used to city broadband speeds and we’d love them to have the same experience when they visit us.”
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.”