Largs internet users should get on their marks, as they will be able to sprint on the web from the autumn.

The Scottish Government has announced the latest communities to join the superfast broadband ‘revolution’ in 2015, and Largs is one of those which will enjoy download speeds of up to 80Mbps.

The first connections in the latest phase of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme are expected to start to go live this Autumn.

Some new homes and businesses will be served after additional engineering work on so-called ‘exchange only’ lines which run directly from the exchange to households and businesses – bypassing the usual road-side cabinets which are integral to the fibre rollout.

Fibre broadband enables multiple users in a home or business to access the internet, download and share large files at the same time and feature download speeds of up to 80 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 20 Mbps.

As the higher speeds become available, anyone interested in signing up for fibre-based services should contact their broadband service provider.

Sara Budge, programme director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: “It is great to be celebrating the first year of deployment of the £410M programme, while announcing that more exchanges will be included, with areas in North Ayrshire, such as Largs, being able to connect to fibre broadband for the first time.

“The project is developing a high speed fibre network which is changing the face of broadband. By reaching out to those who would not have been covered through the commercial market – in towns and into some of our most rural areas – we are ensuring that the connections which are made will bring many benefits to the Scottish people at home and in business.” The Digital Scotland rollout consists of two projects. One is led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for its region and the other covers the rest of Scotland.

Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “The rollout of fibre broadband across Scotland is one of the biggest and most complex civil engineering projects taking place in the UK today and we’re proud to be at the heart of it. It’s great to be announcing so many new locations this week as we celebrate our first, full year of deployment.

“In any project on this scale, plans can change as engineering work progresses, for a variety of reasons.

It’s important people understand that our plans aren’t set in stone but give the best possible forward view of where we expect to go next with the rollout.

“The website at www.digitalscotland.org/whereandwhen is updated frequently and is an excellent source of information as people can check the latest details based on their own postcodes.

“I’d also encourage people to register online for updates when there’s news for their postcode area, such as when fibre broadband becomes available.” �-� Further information is also available on Twitter @ScotSuperfast or Facebook at www.facebook.com/scotlandsuperfast