As part of Openreach’s nationwide five-year full fibre upgrade in Scotland, the Forth Road Bridge is being kitted out with a 3km stretch of glass fibre to bring ultrafast connectivity to the town of South Queensferry.
The new network links back to a main fibre hub in Inverkeithing, Fife, and will make South Queensferry one of 260 communities set to benefit from Openreach’s nationwide build.
Katie Milligan, Chair of Openreach’s Scotland Board, said: “This is a once-in-a-generation engineering task to make broadband fit for the future, and we’re proud to be literally bridging the digital divide across this iconic landmark.
“As we saw during lockdown, good connectivity reduces pressures on our road network, and can cut emissions, by giving many Scots the ability to work where they live.”
A giant air compressor must be used to blow the 3km stretch of glass fibre right across the Bridge at speeds of up to 60 metres per minute as spans of fibre cannot be joined up.