Fibre broadband for thousands more Edinburgh homes

Tens of thousands more homes and businesses across Edinburgh are set to receive fibre optic broadband access thanks to BT's £2.5 billion commercial rollout.

The service has just gone live in the communities of Abbeyhill, Leith, Newington, Portobello and Wester Hailes, with more than 65,300 properties set to be hooked up over the coming weeks.

Over 51,000 premises in the Scottish capital had been passed by previous deployments, while a further 61,300 are poised to benefit from future investments. This means that by the end of spring 2014, almost 178,000 properties will be able to access super-fast broadband.

In addition, BT is looking to partner with the public sector to improve connectivity in parts of the city beyond the range of its commercial footprint.

Frank Ross, economy convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "This is a significant step forward for digital Edinburgh. High-speed connectivity is a defining factor in our city's long-term success."