South Ayrshire council signs up to Fibrezone network

Broadband connection speeds of up to 100 megabits per second could be attainable for residents in the Scottish town of Ayr, as South Ayrshire council has signed up to a Fibrezone ring.

Fibrezones are being developed by H2O Networks and use a ring of fibre optic cables to provide broadband connection speeds far higher than the national average, while they could help deliver more effective VoIP solutions and quicker download speeds.

The networks are being viewed as one way of providing better internet services in rural communities and towns in the surrounding region, such as Troon and Prestwick, may also be covered by the technology.

Gordon Muir, ICT strategy officer at South Ayrshire council, said: "Connecting to the Fibrezone should enable us to plan future spending more accurately by bringing the cost of the installation within budget and offering fixed costs, no matter what extra capacity is required, over the next ten years."

Rural communities often struggle to access fast broadband speeds due to various factors such as distances to telephone exchanges being greater.