THOUSANDS of households and businesses in some of the Borders’ hardest to connect areas are set for a broadband boost.

Bonchester Bridge, Chirnside, Clovenfords, St Boswells, Stow and Yarrow are among those gaining access to full fibre internet connections, according to Openreach.

The upgrades are part of the Scottish Government’s £600m Reaching 100% programme.

And more properties in several towns and villages – including Ashkirk, Coldstream, Jedburgh, Swinton, Teviotdale and Whitsome – are next in line for upgrades, as work continues on the ground this summer.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach partnership director for Scotland, said: “The R100 build is a monumental effort to upgrade and connect Scotland’s most challenging locations. There’s over a thousand people working on the build, with three million metres of new cable installed so far this year – enough to run up and down the A9 seven times.

“We’re seeing really positive, steady growth in take-up across the country, and our teams are all set for a busy summer of new upgrades, working closely with Scottish Borders Council.

“We do our best to avoid disruptive operations by reusing existing poles and ducts and deploying engineering innovations instead of digging up roads. But we do want residents to be aware that sometimes civil work or new poles are needed, to include as many local homes and businesses as possible.”

Full fibre broadband provides more reliable connections; with fewer faults, consistent speeds and enough capacity to meet ever-growing data demands across multiple devices. 

It supports everything people do online at home, including streaming movies, TV and sport as well as online gaming, with a lot less buffering at busier times.

Scottish Government employment and investment minister Tom Arthur said: “Digital infrastructure is a key enabler of economic growth and an increasingly vital part of our everyday lives.

“The R100 programme is a critical part of the upgrade to full fibre technology. As one of the most ambitious and complex digital infrastructure programmes in Europe, it is delivering future-proofed digital connectivity across the country and enabling more homes and businesses – including in our island and rural communities – to access a fast and reliable connection.

“It’s exciting that thousands more premises are now able to access a full fibre connection, and we’ll continue to work with Openreach to deliver further connections up and down the country.”

Borderers can check if the rollout has reached their address yet and register for progress updates at www.openreach.co.uk/r100. 

Once full fibre is available, residents and businesses will need to arrange for their service to be upgraded through their chosen provider.