Kelso MSP John Lamont has welcomed news that faster broadband is coming to the town of Kelso, but stressed many other communities in the Borders region are still without any form of internet connectivity.

BT named Kelso as one of the latest locations to benefit from its rollout of next-generation copper broadband, which offers customers speeds of up to 20Mbps - more than double the national average download rate.

Among the 13 other exchange areas included in the infrastructure upgrade programme are Carnoustie, Leven, North Berwick, Glasgow Provanmill and Edinburgh Colinton.

In total, another 67,500 homes and businesses in Scotland are now able to take advantage of the high-speed broadband service, which is now available at more than 130 exchanges across the country.

Furthermore, BT is planning to upgrade an extra 32 over the coming months.

Mr Lamont told the Southern Reporter that the telecoms giant's announcement is "welcome news" for residents in Kelso, noting internet service providers have traditionally focused on upgrading communities in Scotland's central belt rather than in more isolated locations.

"This will provide a significant boost for businesses in the town, in an age when firms are increasingly reliant on internet access to develop their business," he commented.

However, the MSP insisted there is still much to be done to bring broadband connectivity to everyone living in the Borders region.

"There are still far too many communities in the Borders for whom any type of broadband access is a long way off, let alone access to super-fast next-generation broadband," Mr Lamont remarked.

Brendan Dick, BT's director for Scotland, described the upgrade as an "important step" for each of the towns included in the programme, adding that faster broadband offers a boost to householders and businesses.

Almost 1.4 million commercial and residential premises in Scotland are due to be connected by spring 2012, he revealed. 

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