Faster broadband provides Edinburgh economy boost

The arrival of superfast broadband is set to boost the Edinburgh economy by more than £200 million a year.

A project to deliver faster speeds to homes and businesses in the Scottish capital is due to get underway in the city.

The new 93-mile gigabit fibre network is being built by specialist firm CityFibre in conjunction with Edinburgh-based company Commsworld, reports the Scotsman.

Commsworld chief executive Ricky Nicol explained that cities such as Seoul and Stockholm are the examples Edinburgh is following and they have both seen their GDP rise since becoming gigabit cities.

He said: "This project will put Edinburgh on the same platform as other cities that are offering real connectivity and digital inclusion across the board.

"It's easy to get lost in the technical side or just see the business benefits, but what this means to the whole of Edinburgh should not be underestimated as it is absolutely in line with the digital plans Edinburgh council and the Scottish government have outlined."

Mr Nicol also pointed out that faster broadband can have benefits for all kinds of features of daily life in Edinburgh, for example traffic light systems, which he said "could be analysed in real time to relieve pressure points and help emergency vehicles to reach people in need".

Data shows that superfast connections are now on the rise in the UK and recent research by Ofcom showed that one in three connections are now classed as being super fast, whereas this figure was one in four just over a year ago.

Steve Unger, acting Ofcom chief executive, added that despite the improvements that have been made in broadband infrastructure in recent months, there is still more to be done to make sure homes and businesses in rural areas have access to fast and reliable connections.

Businesses looking to move services into the cloud should evaluate the performance of their existing network and consider setting up a leased line or MPLS network.