THOUSANDS more Stirling homes and businesses could benefit from faster broadband after a new initiative from Digital Scotland.

High-speed fibre will be available to premises in Stirling, Balfron, Drymen and Killearn as part of the £428 million project.

Fergus Ewing, cabinet secretary for the rural economy and connectivity, said: “More than 90 per cent of Scotland now has fibre broadband available thanks to both the programme and commercial coverage.

“The Scottish Government is committed to delivering 100 per cent superfast broadband access across Scotland by 2021 and plans are currently being developed to ensure that this is the case.

“During the summer months our existing programme will continue to advance across the country, bringing high speed broadband to new rural communities.”

Fibre broadband enables multiples users to connect to the internet at high speeds, aiming to provide faster access to online services.