UK telecoms company employ TV network to supply broadband

As part of its rollout of faster broadband to northeast Scotland, leading telecommunication company Openreach aims to make good use of existing infrastructure.

It is currently engaged in a project designed to bring better broadband to thousands of businesses and homes in the port city of Aberdeen and across the greater council area of Aberdeenshire.

To speed up deployment of ultrafast broadband, it is taking advantage of an old cable television network. The network, which was originally constructed and installed in the 80s, is hidden under Aberdeenshire. While it has been out of use for the last two decades, the engineers at Openreach have rewired the networks to support its efforts to provide a full-fibre broadband service to the city.

Making good use of the existing network will not only quicken the rollout but result in lower project costs and less disruption for residents and workers in the region, as less roads will need to be dug up for installations.

As a result of the initiative, ultrafast broadband services will now be an option for 70,000 businesses and households around the city, along with another 40,000 premises in places within Aberdeenshire, such as Newmachar, Kintore and Ellon. Some of the areas that are set to experience higher levels of full-fibre coverage include Stonehaven, Balgownie, Ashgrove and Inverurie.

Openreach Scotland has so far invested over 33.5 million pounds in the local network and is working alongside both UK and Scottish Governments to update broadband in hard-to-reach areas across the nation.