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BT reveals 2,700 local homes and businesses are set for fibre upgrade

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BT have announced a major investment for Fairmilehead in South Edinburgh, pledging to roll-out its £2.5 billion high-speed fibre broadband network to 2,700 local homes and businesses.

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It’s among the 35 latest Scottish locations being included in the fibre broadband programme, which are due to be upgraded in 2013. It means more than a million Scottish homes and businesses will have access to BT’s fibre broadband network by the end of next year.

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The news was welcomed by Ian who said “this is excellent news for the local community and will not only be welcomed by residents but will be a terrific boost for businesses and the local economy creating the potential for new enterprises and jobs.• It is great to see Edinburgh at the forefront of the new Digital age as BT role out the fibre broadband network throughout the UK. “

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The latest investment will take the total number of homes and businesses in Edinburgh able to connect to the fibre network to more than 141,400 once the commercial roll-out announced to date is complete.

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More than 57,400 already have access, and BT is keen to bring more communities within reach by working with the public sector.

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Brendan Dick, BT Scotland director, said: “Today’s news marks a real milestone for Scotland, with more than a million homes and businesses now included in BT’s investment plans for fibre broadband. That means by the end of next year, around half the households in Scotland will be able to connect to our new fibre network.

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“Fibre broadband opens up a whole new, high speed world. This latest major investment in will help the communities benefiting to overcome the current economic challenges and take full advantage of the upturn when it comes.

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“Digital technology is fundamental to how we live and work -; and in an increasingly connected world, high speed communications will become even more essential in the years ahead. Research suggests fibre broadband could give a £143 million boost to a typical town’s economy and create 225 new jobs and 140 new businesses within 15 years.•1

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“The fibre broadband network we’re building today will underpin the local economy for many years to come -; and we’re keen to go further, working with the public sector to take technology to places outside current commercial roll-out plans.

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“The arrival of fibre broadband will revolutionise the way people use the internet for work, education and connecting with public services.”

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BT’s local network business Openreach is making fibre broadband available to around two-thirds of UK homes and businesses on a commercial basis by the end of 20142•using a mix of fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) and fibre to the premises (FTTP) technologies. More than 11 million premises can already access fibre broadband and that number is growing all the time.

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Both technologies offer speeds many times faster than the current UK average, reported by the regulator Ofcom to be 9Mbps. FTTC, where fibre is delivered to new street cabinets, offers download speeds of up to 80Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20Mbps3.

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FTTP, where fibre runs all the way to homes and businesses, offers a variety of download speeds with the current top speed being 330Mbps3. From Spring 2013 BT aims to make speeds of 330Mbps3•available on demand in any area where FTTC has been deployed4.

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Internet users with a fibre broadband connection can do much more online, all at the same time. A family can download a movie, watch a TV replay service, surf the net and play games online simultaneously. A whole album can be downloaded in less than 30 seconds and a feature length HD movie in less than 10 minutes, whilst high-resolution photos can be uploaded to Facebook in seconds.

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The upload speeds are the fastest widely available to consumers in the UK, with large video and data files being sent almost instantly and hi-resolution photos posted online in seconds. And high quality voice and video calls mean businesses can keep in touch with customers while they cut down on travel.

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For further information on Openreach’s fibre broadband programme visit•www.superfast-openreach.co.uk