Businesses in the Largs, Cumbrae and Millport region are to benefit from a new publicly funded digital network. Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson said that the new sub-sea cabling is a vital part of the £410 million Digital Scotland Super-fast Broadband initiative. When complete, it will bring fibre-based broadband to many parts of Scotland for the first time.

Mr Gibson said: “I am delighted that early routes where sub-sea cable is being deployed include Largs and Cumbrae. The creation of this hugely ambitious land and sub-sea network is vital in reaching firms which could never have hoped to receive fibre broadband as part of a commercial roll-out.”

The cabling forms part of a project led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Funding partners include the Scottish Executive and Broadband Delivery UK and BT. The deep-sea work is being carried out by the Rene Descartes cable ship, which is using its submersible plough and remotely operated vehicles to bury the armoured cable where sea-bed sediments allow.

Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “This is a momentous occasion for BT as we embark on the biggest sub-sea engineering project we have undertaken in UK waters. It’s a massive test of engineering ingenuity, so we are keeping everything crossed for stable weather and a fair wind to allow sure and steadfast progress.”