Highlanders dig in to bring broadband to their rural homes

It is the technology of the future, made possible by some old fashioned elbow grease.

Ultrafast broadband uses full-fibre cables, which allow for greatly increased download speeds compared to copper cables. Picture: PA

Residents in some of Scotland’s most remote locations are helping to dig trenches in order to enjoy some of the fastest broadband speeds anywhere in the UK.

In what is an unlikely marriage of cutting edge telecommunications and hard graft, homeowners in isolated Highland communities are helping to excavate soil to make way for ultrafast fibre.

The emerging technology, a vast improvement on normal broadband, promises to transform the way we use the internet, with download speeds of up to 330Mbps, nearly a tenfold increase on the current UK average of 36.2Mbps.

Thanks to the use of full-fibre cables, instead of copper, it will allow people to download a two hour-long HD film in just 90 seconds. Crucially, it is also seen as a major boon for fragile rural economies.

As part of the rollout of the new network, which hopes to connect 12 million households by 2020, two such areas in Sutherland - Altnaharra and Skerray - will be among the first to benefit.

The installation of the network is being carried out by Openreach, a subsidiary of BT. It said the work in some of Scotland’s most northernmost communities represents a crucial stage, which will inform its strategy over the coming years.

Clive Selley, the firm’s chief executive, said a “new concept” was being used in both areas, with new nodes from the main fibre spine being spun out in order to connect outlying properties.

He explained: “As our core fibre spines penetrate even deeper into rural Scotland, it brings new opportunities to improve broadband speeds for remote communities.

“The two pilot communities will see their broadband speeds jump dramatically, as well as improvements to their existing services, so this is a win-win situation.

“We’ll test how we can use the spines to reach very rural communities, and the distances over which we can use fibre effectively. Our learning from these innovative trials will inform our wider fibre strategy and could potentially help us to reach other very remote communities.”

Workers on Altnaharra estate are helping to dig in the new cable to 45 houses, with the cable laying - carried out to Openreach’s specifications - linking up to around 100 properties in the hamlet of Skerray. As well as increasing speeds, the work will address a high fault rate in Skerray where existing copper cables buried under a nearby beach have been damaged by lightning strikes.

It is expected both communities will be connected to the new full-fibre network by the autumn.

Although ultrafast fibre is only available in a few locations across the country, a report by the communications watchdog, Ofcom, found the majority of areas with the service enjoyed average download speeds of 300Mbps. Some areas, its Connected Nation study found, had speeds of up to 1000Mbps.

An ultrafast trial in parts of Edinburgh and Glasgow also went live earlier this month, allowing up to 16,900 households to sign up for the service.