Fibre broadband rolling out to thousands more Edinburgh homes

BT has announced the next stage of its high-speed fibre broadband plans for Edinburgh.

The latest expansion will see super-fast internet speeds on offer to 16 further communities across the city. Residents and businesses in Fountainbridge, Craiglockhart, Stockbridge and Murrayfield have already been upgraded, while Leith, Liberton, Wester Hailes and Davidson's Mains will get their new cables later this year as part of the £2.5 billion rollout.

Currently, there are around 64,700 premises able to make use of the fibre broadband and under the new plans this is set to expand to 178,000 by the end of spring 2014.

Brendan Dick, BT Scotland director, said: “This is another important step forward for Scotland's capital city. High-speed digital connectivity is vital to our long-term success."

Councillor Frank Ross, convener of the economy committee at the City of Edinburgh Council, welcomed the news and added that high-speed internet is essential if local businesses are to compete effectively and create jobs in the region.