Virgin fibre optic for another 360,000 premises

Virgin Media said it plans to connect another 360,000 homes and businesses in Scotland to its fibre optic network by the end of 2019, as part of its £3 billion Project Lightning network expansion across the UK.

Virgin Media, owned by media mogul John Malone’s Liberty Global, said the 360,000 is in addition to the almost one million premises its network currently reaches in Scotland.

It said the first areas to benefit are:

  • 55,000 premises in Ayrshire — Kilmarnock, Ayr, Prestwick and Irvine
  • 70,000 premises in Fife — Dunfermline, Dalgety Bay, Rosyth and Inverkeithing
  • Plus the villages of Kirknewton, Kilmacolm,  Houston, Crosslee, Craigends and Bridge of Weir

Work is already underway in Ayrshire and Fife, and will be rolled out across the country shortly.

Martin McFadyen, Regional Director for Scotland at Virgin Media, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our network to bring better broadband, faster connectivity and top-notch TV to more premises across Scotland.

“Our ambition is to give more people in Scotland the broadband boost they deserve.

“We urge local councils and landlords to work with us to ensure this expansion happens as quickly as possible.”

Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Connectivity said: “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% 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.”

Virgin Media said Project Lightning is the single largest investment in the UK’s broadband infrastructure in more than a decade.

It said the project is funded entirely by private sector capital — with no subsidies from the UK or Scottish governments or the EU.