Edinburgh has witnessed a 37% increase in internet usage between January 2020 and June 2021, according to data published by TalkTalk.

With more residents working at home since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, TalkTalk said the statistics highlight the growing necessity of high-quality connectivity.

“We believe fast, affordable, full fibre broadband should be accessible to all. This has been brought into even sharper focus by the pandemic,” said TalkTalk Managing Director, Jonathan Kini.

TalkTalk data also shows sales of smart technology have increased since the beginning of the pandemic, and items such as smart speakers and wireless printers require consistent, high-quality connectivity to support them.

In a poll conducted by Mortar Research, 89% of office workers said they hoped to continue working from home after the pandemic. Since the onset of restrictions last year, 32% of office workers across the country said they have invested in upgrading their broadband, the study found.

Additionally, one-fifth of those surveyed reported investing in a ‘mesh system’ to improve their in-home connectivity during the pandemic.

The TalkTalk study follows a report that highlighted Edinburgh as the UK’s ‘broadband outage capital’.

To counteract this, TalkTalk are ramping up its full fibre expansion programme and will work alongside Openreach and CityFibre to extend broadband coverage across the city.

Kini stated: “We’re thrilled that people across Edinburgh can now benefit from the UK’s latest technology thanks to our new Future Fibre packages.”

TalkTalk’s Future Fibre options have average top speeds of 506Mb/s, making them up to 45x faster and 5x more reliable than standard broadband. TalkTalk say that Future Fibre is designed to handle video-calling and streaming on multiple devices.

The firm said this will provide Edinburgh residents with 100% full-fibre connections directly into their home, as many continue to work remotely.

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Paul Wakefield, the City Manager for CityFibre in Edinburgh said: “We are delighted to welcome TalkTalk, the latest internet service provider to our full-fibre network in Edinburgh.

“As our Edinburgh build progresses into new areas of the city, we look forward to even more homes having access to fast, reliable and green digital connectivity.

CityFibre expects that almost every Edinburgh home will be connected by the end of 2024, as they bring full-fibre broadband to homes and businesses across the UK.

Robert Thorburn, the Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, added: “We’re proud to support TalkTalk with access to some of the UK’s fastest, most reliable broadband.”