Almost 7,000 homes and businesses in Stirling have been connected to a new full fibre broadband network offering gigabit-fast internet speeds.

Premises will be able to access top speeds of 1,130Mbps after the first phase of nexfibre’s work was completed.

It means residents can now access Virgin Media’s services which are up to 25 times faster than the local average.

Virgin Media’s services are now available locally following a multimillion-pound investment from nexfibre to build new full fibre connections in the area.

The ultrafast network has been built as part of a £4.5bn investment by nexfibre to deliver high speed fibre to the home (FTTH) connections to five million homes across the UK by 2026, with the option of expanding to an additional 2 million homes.

Virgin Media is using this next-generation network to deliver its broadband and TV Stream services to homes and businesses in the area. 

The project to upgrade local broadband network is continuing so more homes and businesses in Stirling will benefit from faster internet speeds in the future. 

Alyn Smith, MP for Stirling, said: “I welcome the latest investment in Stirling that will ensure my constituents have access to some of the UK’s fastest broadband speeds. It was great to meet with representatives from both Virgin Media O2 and nexfibre to discuss the progress they have made so far, as well as the plans they have to make gigabit broadband available to even more residents in the area.”

Fernando Molina, chief technology & information officer at nexfibre, said: “By investing in the City of Stirling, nexfibre will enable thousands of households and businesses to access the benefits of ultrafast broadband, including being able to participate in the local economy and connect with their communities. 

We are on a mission to build and expand our network in suburban and semi-rural areas and look forward to continuing to do so in the areas surrounding Stirling, helping to close the digital divide and boost opportunities for thousands of people.”

nexfibre is a joint venture between InfraVia Capital Partners, Liberty Global and Telefónica and is financed with £4.5 billion of equity and debt investment.