Tuesday August 5th 2025
Scottish Borders
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Homes and businesses in the first parts of the Scottish Borders due to get an upgrade in their internet connection through a Government-backed project have been revealed.
Residents can now register their interest to sign up to access reliable broadband from Borders-born provider, GoFibre.
GoFibre was chosen as the supplier to deliver full fibre broadband to around 11,000 hard-to-reach premises across the Scottish Borders and East Lothian, as part of joint efforts by the UK and Scottish governments to supercharge internet access in mostly rural areas not included in any commercial roll-out plans.
The Scottish independent broadband provider will also connect two thousand additional hard-to-reach premises in the region at no extra cost to the taxpayer – bringing the total to around 13,000.
Build is about to start in the Scottish Borders, beginning with properties in Innerleithen, Ayton, Chirnside and parts of Eyemouth.
With the first premises expected to be completed later this year, residents and businesses are urged to visit GoFibre’s website to see if they’re eligible and to register their interest now.
Across the duration of the contract, properties in places such as the Oxton, Coldingham, St Abbs, Jedburgh, Galashiels and Lauder will also be added to the GoFibre network.
Over the next three years, thousands of premises will be made ready for connection in the Scottish Borders. GoFibre will also be building additional premises commercially.
This means more locals will be able to enjoy the benefits of full fibre, such as seamless use of multiple devices at home, smoother remote work and being able to quickly download large files in seconds.
The best way to find out if your home or business is included is to visit https://gofibre.co.uk/gigabit.
Project Gigabit is the UK government’s programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband. The Scottish Government is playing a key role in delivering Project Gigabit procurements in Scotland, working closely with the UK government to deploy funding.
GoFibre currently has a commercial build of over 25,000 premises in the Borders.
Founded in Duns in 2017, the independent broadband provider has premises ready for connection across the Scottish Borders in areas including Galashiels, Kelso, Melrose, Selkirk, Hawick, Jedburgh and Duns and residents are encouraged to sign up and see what full fibre can do for them.
GoFibre has committed to supporting local communities and grassroots sports across the region, sponsoring important events like Melrose 7s, as well as the newly formed Borders Girls’ Rugby club.
As a result of such efforts, GoFibre was Highly Commended at the Borders Business Excellence Awards 2024 and is represented on the Board of the Borders Chamber of Commerce.
Neil Conaghan, CEO of GoFibre said: “We’re excited to announce the first communities we’ll be connecting through Project Gigabit, in Eyemouth, Innerleithen, Coldingham and Ayton. If you live in one of these areas and you think your home or business might be eligible, visit the GoFibre website and register your interest now.
“GoFibre was born in the Borders, and we are proud to offer even more residents across the region the ability to sign up and enjoy the benefits of our seamless full fibre connectivity.”
Scottish Government Business and Employment Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Fast, reliable broadband is a fundamental building block for economic growth – and a vital part of everyday life.”
“Over the past decade we’ve transformed access to broadband services with more than one million faster connections to homes and businesses across the country, through programmes backed by more than £1 billion of publicly-driven investment. Building on this work, we are now working with the UK Government to deliver the Project Gigabit roll-out in Scotland and get even more homes and businesses in rural Scotland access to faster broadband.”
“It’s great to see GoFibre’s plans for the Borders coming to life – and it’s even better news for local residents and businesses that an extra 2,000 premises across the contract area are to be equipped with a gigabit-capable connection on top of the 11,000 already planned.”
Find out more and register your interest at https://gofibre.co.uk/gigabit/.
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