An independent broadband firm is to bring full fibre connectivity to more than 1,400 premises in Melrose.

GoFibre’s network will benefit homes and businesses across the Scottish Borders town as the company plans to ‘future-proof’ the area.

Planning is near completion and work is expected to get underway in the coming weeks, allowing the town to join the 32 per cent of UK households enjoying full fibre connectivity.

CEO Alex Cacciamani established the company from his Borders hometown of Duns, with his wife, Laura.

He said: “Our planning stage, ahead of any construction work commencing, has been going very well and so we intend to begin our transformative works to connect Melrose to the best digital connectivity available in September.

“It’s vitally important for our shared future that we eliminate the digital divide across Scotland. Doing so will enable us all to reach our full potential, facilitating business growth and innovation as well as benefiting local communities through seamless connectivity.”

Full fibre networks are considered to be the best type of connectivity, allowing communities to upload and download data with none of the disruption that ageing copper networks bring.

GoFibre’s aim is to bring future-proof digital connectivity to Melrose, tackling the ongoing digital divide across Scotland, particularly when it comes to rural and harder to reach communities.

Once in place, speeds of up to 10Gbps would be available, transforming the ability for local residents and businesses to work effectively from home, operate multiple devices simultaneously with no lag and download complete box sets in seconds.