Business Women Scotland Issue 45 | Page 12

# BWSMAGAZINE

FIBRE BROADBAND

Delivers

HOME ADVANTAGE

The ability to access broadband and mobile coverage throughout the country is vital to a stronger economy and a fairer Scotland . Through the DSSB programme , we are working together as partners ( The Scottish Government , UK Government , Highlands and Islands Enterprise , BT , local authorities and the European Regional Development Fund ) investing over £ 400 million , to deliver access to a fibre broadband network to at least 95 % of premises across the country by the end of 2017 .
With over 780,000 premises already enabled , DSSB is delivering on time and within budget . Without it , only 66 % of premises would have been reached by commercial coverage . Strong take-up figures mean a further £ 17.9 million has now been reinvested back into the programme and thousands more homes and businesses will benefit in 2018 .
Upgrade boosts speed and efficiency Lynne Kennedy , editor of the business Women Scotland ( BWS ) Magazine , runs the business from her home in Glasgow . Like many others , Lynne thought that she was unable to get fibre broadband , but after meeting the Digital Scotland team at a BWS event she learnt that her postcode was actually in an area covered by the programme , so could upgrade .
Fibre broadband has made a huge difference to the way that Lynne is able to run the magazine . As it ’ s a publishing company , Lynne receives a number of emails with large files attached . Before fibre , downloading was a lengthy process .
Lynne says : “ I would go downstairs , make a cup of tea , and by the time I came back upstairs the picture would
12 still be downloading . It was a nightmare !” However , since upgrading to fibre Lynne is now receiving high download speeds , and this had made all the difference . She says : “ The download speeds have been the biggest benefit . It has saved me so much time and with my type of job it ’ s all about thinking ahead and being prepared for the next publication .
“ All of my staff work from home too and now that they also have fibre broadband installed it is making such a difference to the business .”
Key points to note :
• Due to the scale and complexity of the task at hand , it ’ s not possible to connect all areas at once .
• Both the current commercial and DSSB programmes are still in the process of rolling out fibre broadband .
• To find out where and when fibre broadband will roll-out in your area visit www . scotlandsuperfast . com
• You ’ ll need to contact your service provider to switch to fibre broadband as this doesn ’ t happen automatically .
• Beyond the current programme , the Scottish Government has made the commitment of delivering 100 % superfast broadband across Scotland by 2021 . ‎
• Some residents may be eligible for a subsidised basic broadband installation ; designed to provide a better broadband connection for those on the lowest speeds ahead of any future public investment in superfast broadband . Further information : www . scotlandsuperfast . com / where-when / the-programme / alternative-solutions