Virgin Project Lightning strikes Scotland
October 11, 2016
Virgin Media plans to connect an additional 360,000 homes and businesses in Scotland to its fibre optic network by the end of 2019, as part of its £3 billion (€3.3bn) Project Lightning network expansion across the UK. This is in addition to the almost one million premises Virgin Media’s network currently reaches in Scotland. With more than a third of premises to be connected by the end of 2017, Virgin Media plans to bring its ultrafast broadband and brilliant entertainment to both urban and rural areas of the country.
The first areas to benefit are:
– 55,000 premises in Ayrshire (specifically Kilmarnock, Ayr, Prestwick and Irvine)
– 70,000 premises in Fife (specifically Dunfermline, Dalgety Bay, Rosyth and Inverkeithing)
Plus, the villages of Kirknewton (West Lothian), Kilmacolm, Houston, Crosslee, Craigends and Bridge of Weir (Renfrewshire), who were amongst the top ten communities in its ‘Supercharging Local Communities’ initiative earlier this year
– Work is already underway in Ayrshire and Fife, and will be rolled out across the country shortly.
Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity and Member of the Scottish Parliament, said: “I welcome the news that Virgin Media will be rolling out ultrafast broadband to over 300,000 premises in Scotland alongside launching the first Scottish Tech City in Glasgow. The Scottish Government has put digital connectivity at the heart of its agenda, recognising that broadband is vital to the sustainability of our economy and communities. That is why we have made the commitment to ensure that 100 per cent of premises across Scotland will have access to superfast broadband by 2021. Commercial investment will play a huge part in delivering that commitment and I am delighted to welcome the substantial investment that Virgin Media are making in Scotland.”