CREATING A DIGITAL REGION

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1 CREATING A DIGITAL REGION Superfast broadband comes to the Highlands and Islands

2 Highlands and Islands Enterprise is leading one of the most ambitious high-speed fibre broadband projects the UK has ever seen. It will roll out a network across Scotland s dramatic landscapes to transform our region s digital future. Modern, fast and reliable broadband will make a game changing contribution to our communities prosperity, offering new ways of living and working. Alex Paterson, Chief Executive Highlands and Islands Enterprise

3 DIGITAL HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS THE PROJECT The Scottish Government has an ambition for the whole country to have access to world class, next generation broadband by We re making sure the Highlands and Islands meets this target. We want to make our region, from Argyll to Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to Moray, a place that attracts new business, helps enterprise flourish and gives everyone the opportunity to make the most of the latest technology. We all know the benefits of the internet, it provides access to a world of information, it s invaluable in terms of business, helps us keep in touch with friends and family, and is an opportunity to unwind. There is an assumption that as customers or as businesses we all have access to modern digital connectivity. Research indicates it increases innovation, opens access to new markets and is valuable in sustaining communities. With the kinds of technological advances being made across the world, including teleworking and access to online health services, it s clear to see that we should aim to be at the forefront. Core connectivity will support the development of other sectors including energy, tourism and business services. This is why we ve teamed up with the Scottish Government, Broadband Delivery UK and BT to bring about one of the most ambitious digital projects ever attempted in the UK. Without public sector intervention, the commercial rollout would only reach one in four of the region s premises. We have been working within our communities for decades to help support the ambitions of people who want to live in, work in and enjoy the Highlands and Islands. Rolling out our next generation broadband will further enhance the region s attractiveness. We are committed to ensuring that the economic and social benefits which modern digital communications will help deliver are accessible to all of our people to those in our remote, rural communities as well as our major urban centres. The first giant step in fulfilling this goal will be to deliver fibre broadband services to around 84 per cent of Highlands and Islands homes and businesses by the end of

4 THREE STEPS TO CONNECTION 1 2 A NEW FIBRE NETWORK The core of the project is the creation of a fibre network which will provide the foundations for future digital developments for years to come. Its creation is a huge engineering feat, BT will lay more than 800km of fibre cable on land, and 400km more via 20 sub-sea crossings to our islands. Every part of the route needs to be surveyed taking into account factors such as sites of historic, scientific, and natural interest and features such as rail tracks, crossings and bridges. UPGRADING EXCHANGES As part of the rollout BT plans to upgrade hundreds of exchanges across the region. The structure will group together exchanges to create larger, commercially attractive numbers of customers. This is likely to draw increased interest from service providers, improving options for customers. This project, combined with BT s commercial rollout, will deliver fibre services to more than 200,000 properties across the region. A significant amount of the backhaul cabling will be in place during 2014 and the network is planned for completion around the end of EXCHANGES WILL BE UPGRADED, REACHING OVER 200,000 PROPERTIES 3

5 N. America via Faroes 1200km OF NEW CABLE WILL BE LAID - A DISTANCE THE EQUIVALENT TO RUNNING UP AND DOWN BEN NEVIS 446 TIMES 3 N. America via Iceland CONNECTING CUSTOMERS Once the fibre backbone is in place a spider s web of additional cable will spread across the Highlands and Islands to connect local communities. The way premises are connected will vary, but the method for the majority will be through Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC). With this, BT overlays the copper network that runs from the local telephone exchange to street cabinets with fibre. Fibre to the cabinet offers wholesale broadband speeds of up to 80Mbps downstream and 20Mbps upstream. Ethernet, which can offer major cost and speed benefits for medium-sized or large businesses, will become much more widely available and offer a more affordable solution for businesses. Existing fibre routes New fibre routes (inc. sub-sea) 4

6 DIGITAL HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS WORKING TOWARDS 100% COVERAGE In this phase of our ambitious plan we aim to deliver superfast broadband to 84 per cent of premises in the Highland and Islands: much more than could have been reached by commercial rollout alone. But there s still more to do. We have set up a new 2.5m Innovation Fund to help deliver new and inventive solutions to connect even more communities and businesses. Already, BT are testing alternative technologies including wireless, satellite and TV whitespace. In addition, the Scottish Government has also launched Community Broadband Scotland a 5 million initiative that is delivering support to rural and remote communities to help them deliver their own broadband solutions, where anticipated fibre deployment will not currently reach. Find out more at: 5

7 15,000 SQUARE MILES WILL BE COVERED - AN AREA SIMILAR TO THE SIZE OF BELGIUM HOW WE RE ROLLING IT OUT As with any operation of this scale there is a rigorous period of planning involved. We re well under way. The first thing you may see is the fibre network being laid. As this progresses, the exchange locations to be upgraded will be announced in phases. We expect information on the first locations to be available by the end of WHEN WILL YOUR AREA GET SUPERFAST BROADBAND? As the rollout reaches each area more detail can be found by entering your postcode on the Openreach website: where-and-when Loch Duich and the Five Sisters of Kintail. Image does not indicate location of rollout. 6

8 HERE S WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE: On HIE s project visit: About roll out in your area visit: For information about support for our communities visit: For general information on faster broadband contact your Internet Service Provider.