A remote Highland Perthshire community is to benefit from the introduction of high speed internet this spring.
British Telecom (BT) announced it would be carrying out work at Tummel Bridge telephone exchange which currently provides a basic broadband speed of just 0.5Mbps.
The upgrade, set to be completed by the end of next month, will include a full ADSL platform offering speeds of up to 8Mbps.
Other areas to benefit from the Broadband for Scotland partnership with the Scottish Government include Abbey St Bathans, Lempitlaw and Steele Road in the Scottish Borders, Bargrennan in Kirkcudbrightshire and Westerdale in Caithness.
North Tayside MSP John Swinney welcomed the announcement, which will aid homes and businesses in the area.
“This is very good news for rural communities across Scotland. I am particularly pleased to see that the Tummel Bridge exchange is being upgraded,” he said.
“This is a consequence of BT and the Scottish Government working closely together to improve the lives of those people and businesses in rural areas.Improvements”The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that broadband speeds continue to improve across Scotland.”
Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said, “The upgrades will help more people get faster broadband speeds from a wider range of service providers and make possible higher-bandwidth services like TV over the internet.
“We are keen to help the Scottish Government fulfill its Digital Ambition strategy and play a full part in working with the public sector to take next generation broadband into our more challenging geographies.”
Enterprise minister Jim Mather said it was a step in the right direction for rural communities.
“We have been working with BT to identify telephone exchanges at or approaching their capacity, and in need of an upgrade to provide better broadband connections,” he said.
“Twenty-seven exchanges around Scotland have already been enhanced, and I’m delighted that a further six exchanges are set for improvements.
“There is absolutely no doubt that faster broadband is a real benefit to householders and also businesses, who need a competitive advantage as we work to build economic recovery in Scotland.”