Scottish Border towns get broadband boost as 'dark fibre' rolls out

Charlie Boisseau of Commsworld - faster and more robust connections. Picture: Contributed

Commsworld said it had become the first operator to successfully utilise the Dark Fibre X (DFX) product from Openreach. As part of its initial rollout, the firm is using some 200 kilometres of “unlit optical fibre” cabling to upgrade the connections into its exchanges across the Scottish Borders, linking the region to its national network with ultra-fast connectivity.

Commsworld said this would enable “alternative, accessible and affordable connectivity” to organisations throughout towns such as Jedburgh, Kelso, Duns and Peebles.

Charlie Boisseau, the group’s chief technical officer, said: “Bringing this ultra-high-speed connectivity to more rural areas creates really exciting prospects for domestic and business users.

“Businesses won’t be limited by location anymore – we’re looking forward to seeing more businesses with dramatically faster and more robust connections flourishing in rural areas. Anyone will be able to set up a high-tech business from anywhere.

“Having the first dark fibre services from Openreach is a real milestone for the industry. Rural connectivity is only ever as good as its backhaul, and for meaningful competition to thrive in all corners of the country, measures such as DFX are crucial.”

Katie Milligan, head of customer, commercial and propositions at Openreach, added: “Commsworld has embraced dark fibre and secured an industry first to embed it into their Borders network. We’ve worked very closely with the industry to design the product. It’s now out there being used to extend high-speed services.”