GoFibre discusses power of full fibre at SNP Conference

Scottish independent broadband builder and provider, GoFibre hosted a Fringe Event at the SNP Conference today, highlighting how full fibre can act as a catalyst for economic transformation within rural areas.

The panel consisted of GoFibre’s Chief Revenue Officer, Sam Calvert, Ivan McKee MSP, Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise and Sara Thiam, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).

The event was well attended, prompting much discussion around the demand for future-proof digital connectivity right now, in order for Scotland to innovate and succeed, rather than falling behind other countries.

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. However, it is currently available to less than 40% of Scottish premises. In countries such as Japan and South Korea, this figure is more than 95%.

GoFibre’s aim is to bring future-proof digital connectivity to Scotland, tackling the ongoing digital divide, 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, operate multiple devices simultaneously with no lag and download large files in just seconds.

Sam Calvert said:

“The ongoing digital divide facing those in underserved communities across Scotland is a hot topic which so many of us can relate to, so this panel event was a great opportunity to highlight the efforts already underway to tackle this, but also the ongoing challenges. The audience fully appreciated that true collaboration is required to get us where we need to be, sparking great conversations. At GoFibre, we are committed to getting the best infrastructure in place so that we can maximise opportunities and thrive.

“Both Ivan and Sara were well placed to discuss the true potential of full fibre, or the gold standard as we often refer to it, because they’ve seen for themselves in their own roles how transformative this connectivity is, which everyone has a right to regardless of their location.”

Following a £164 million investment earlier this year from Gresham House’s sustainable infrastructure strategy, BSIF, GoFibre is accelerating its rollout of full fibre broadband throughout Scotland and the north of England, with the aim to connect hundreds of thousands of homes over the next three years.