THOUSANDS of homes and businesses in Paisley are set to enjoy an ultrafast broadband and entertainment boost.

The network has been opened up to 2,800 users in the Ferguslie Park area of the Renfrewshire town, offering speeds of up to 350Mbps.

With the quality of broadband in the area transformed, with a 350Mbps connection, files, films and games will become “unbelievably quick” to stream, download and upload, said Virgin Media.

It means a standard HD movie file (5GB) can be downloaded in just over two minutes, compared to more than 20 minutes on the average local connection.

A 25GB console game can be downloaded in just over 10 minutes, compared to more than 100 minutes on the average local connection.

Julie Agnew, regional director for Scotland at Virgin Media, said: “Giving local residents and businesses across Paisley greater speeds will enable them to do the things they need to do and love doing more quickly and more easily.”

Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson described how good broadband speeds are “now essential for everyday life.”

He continued: “The council has already invested £1 million to provide free public wifi across Paisley, Renfrew and Johnstone town centres, and this year set aside £2 million for ultrafast broadband in public buildings and schools, so we welcome any private sector investment which complements that.

“Having fast, reliable broadband influences people’s decisions over where to live - and that of companies over where to invest - so this builds on the work we’re already doing to promote Renfrewshire as a great place to live, work and visit.”