Scotland Reveals Next BT Fibre Broadband Rollout Areas – H2 2014

The £410m Digital Scotland project, which aims to ensure that 85% of premises in Scotland can access BT’s “fibre broadband infrastructure” (FTTC/P) services by the end of 2015 (rising to around 95% by the end of 2017), has today announced the next batch of telephone exchange areas to benefit (representing 90,000 extra homes and businesses).

The latest update, which follows only a day after the Scottish Government announced additional funding for rural areas (£2.5m) and proposed plans to boost broadband coverage in the event of a vote favouring independence from the United Kingdom (here), reveals that so far the Digital Scotland scheme has helped to bring faster broadband to an additional 55,000 premises.

Digital Scotland’s Current Funding

The Highlands and Islands (£145.8m):
• £126.4m from public bodies
(Scottish Government, Department for Culture, Media and Sport [BDUK], Highland and Islands Enterprise and all seven local authorities that form part of the project area)

• £19.4m from BT.

The Rest of Scotland (£264m):
• £157 million from public sources
(Scottish Government, ERDF, Department for Culture, Media and Sport [BDUK], and all 27 local authorities that form part of the Rest of Scotland Project area)

• £106.7 from BT.

Once complete the scheme hopes to have helped more than 750,000 premises to get faster broadband, which will be in addition to the 1.4 million+ that should have already benefitted through BT’s separate £2.5bn commercial deployment across the United Kingdom (note: they passed the 1 million mark in April 2014 and recently hit a total of 1.2 million).

Meanwhile the next batch of upgrades consists of both new areas and plenty of infill (i.e. expanding coverage in communities that already have some FTTC or FTTP lines), although as usual these are tentative plans and subject to change. Unfortunately there aren’t any clear dates listed, although more info. can be found on the projects website.

New Telephone Exchange Areas

ABERDEEN KINELLAR – Aberdeenshire
AUCHTERLESS – Aberdeenshire
BANFF – Aberdeenshire
CRUDEN BAY – Aberdeenshire
GARDENSTOWN – Aberdeenshire
HUNTLY – Aberdeenshire
INVERALLOCHY – Aberdeenshire
LONMAY – Aberdeenshire
MACDUFF – Aberdeenshire
MINTLAW – Aberdeenshire
PORTSOY – Aberdeenshire
RHYNIE – Aberdeenshire
TARVES – Aberdeenshire
UDNY – Aberdeenshire
ALYTH* – Angus
GLAMIS – Angus
CARDROSS – Argyll and Bute
ANNAN – Dumfries and Galloway
EASTRIGGS – Dumfries and Galloway
ECCLEFECHAN – Dumfries and Galloway
GRETNA – Dumfries and Galloway
LESWALT – Dumfries and Galloway
LOCHANS – Dumfries and Galloway
LOCKERBIE – Dumfries and Galloway
MOFFAT – Dumfries and Galloway
NEWTON STEWART – Dumfries and Galloway
PORT WILLIAM – Dumfries and Galloway
SANDHEAD – Dumfries and Galloway
WHITHORN – Dumfries and Galloway
WIGTOWN – Dumfries and Galloway
MUIRKIRK – East Ayrshire
GIFFORD – East Lothian
GULLANE – East Lothian
LONGNIDDRY – East Lothian
PENCAITLAND – East Lothian
FOSSOWAY* – Fife
KINGLASSIE – Fife
STRATHMIGLO – Fife
ALNESS – Highland
BEAULY – Highland
CORPACH – Highland
CROY – Highland
DORNOCH (EMBO) – Highland
EVANTON – Highland
FEARN – Highland
INVERGORDON – Highland
KESSOCK – Highland
MUIR OF ORD – Highland
MUNLOCHY – Highland
PORTMAHOMACK – Highland
STRATHPEFFER – Highland
TAIN – Highland
ABERLOUR – Moray
ALVES – Moray
CARRON – Moray
DUFFTOWN – Moray
KIRKWALL – Orkney
STROMNESS – Orkney
ALYTH* – Perth and Kinross
AUCHTERARDER – Perth and Kinross
BRACO – Perth and Kinross
COMRIE – Perth and Kinross
COUPAR ANGUS – Perth and Kinross
CRIEFF – Perth and Kinross
FOSSOWAY* – Perth and Kinross
KINROSS – Perth and Kinross
MEIGLE – Perth and Kinross
SCOTLANDWELL – Perth and Kinross
AYTON – Scottish Borders
CHIRNSIDE – Scottish Borders
COLDSTREAM – Scottish Borders
DUNS – Scottish Borders
EYEMOUTH – Scottish Borders
LEITHOLM – Scottish Borders
NORHAM – Scottish Borders
PAXTON – Scottish Borders
CUNNINGSBURGH (QUARFF) – Shetland
SUMBURGH – Shetland
CARNWATH – South Lanarkshire
CARSTAIRS – South Lanarkshire
CROSSFORD – South Lanarkshire
FORTH – South Lanarkshire
STONEHOUSE; STRATHCLYDE – South Lanarkshire

Infill Areas (Expanding Existing Coverage)

Oban – Argyll and Bute
ABERDEEN BALGOWNIE – Aberdeen City
ABERDEEN PORTLETHEN – Aberdeenshire
ARBROATH – Angus
ANSTRUTHER – Fife
COWDENBEATH – Fife
DALGETY BAY – Fife
DUNFERMLINE – Fife
GLENROTHES NORTH – Fife
GLENROTHES SOUTH – Fife
KELTY – Fife
NEW OAKLEY – Fife
DRUMCHAPEL – Glasgow City
GLASGOW BUSBY* – Glasgow City
GLASGOW MARYHILL – Glasgow City
GLASGOW SCOTSTOUN – Glasgow City
GLASGOW WESTERN – Glasgow City
ARDERSIER – Highland
INVERNESS CULLODEN – Highland
DINGWALL – Highland
FOCHABERS – Moray
LHANBRYDE – Moray
LOSSIEMOUTH – Moray
UDDINGSTON – North Lanarkshire
ALLOWAY – South Ayrshire
PRESTWICK – South Ayrshire
BLANTYRE – South Lanarkshire
GLASGOW BUSBY* – South Lanarkshire
GLASGOW CAMBUSLANG – South Lanarkshire