THE first island community to get superfast broadband will be connected ahead of schedule this autumn, communications chiefs have announced.
Homes and businesses in Lerwick, Shetland, are among locations around Scotland which will benefit from the £410 million Digital Scotland partnership programme.
The fibre broadband roll-out will deliver services to more than 750,000 properties across the country over the next four years in a project backed by public and private funds. Other locations include Dingwall and Fort William in the Highlands, Forfar and Kirriemuir in Angus and Ladybank and St Andrews in Fife.
Some of the places, such as Keith in Moray, New Cumnock in Ayrshire and St Boswells in the Borders, will receive high-speed technology for the first time, while others will see additional premises connected as a result of building upon their existing, or planned fibre broadband.
The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband project is being delivered in two parts, one covering the Highlands and Islands and the other covering the rest of Scotland, with both projects being delivered on the ground by BT.
The first live locations in the Highlands and Islands were announced in February and around 10,000 new premises can now access fibre broadband as a direct result of the project, the Scottish Government said. The Rest of Scotland project saw its first live locations connected this week in Aberdeenshire.
In total, more than 750,000 homes and business premises are expected to benefit from the Scotland-wide initiative.
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