BT is to create 150 new engineering jobs in Scotland to support the rollout of fibre broadband.
The recruitment comes after the company won contracts to install fibre connections in homes and businesses in the Highlands and Islands and in the rest of Scotland.
Around 90 of the posts will be located in the Highlands and Islands, with jobs in Inverness, Fort William and Oban, as well as across the country.
Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “Faster broadband will help to fuel local economies across rural and urban Scotland and the jobs we’re creating are part of that.”
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Up to 150 new jobs is a welcome boost to the job market, presenting new business opportunities across the country.
“These jobs come on the back of our recent announcement of a high-speed broadband network, created in partnership with BT.
“This initiative will connect communities across rural and urban areas, providing a platform for future economic development and regeneration.
“This is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the whole of Europe and will enable businesses to compete on the international stage.”
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is leading the region’s £146 million next-generation broadband project in partnership with BT.
Carroll Buxton, director of regional development for HIE, said: “The roll-out of high speed broadband across the Highlands and Islands will bring significant development opportunities to businesses, individuals and communities through faster, more reliable connectivity.
“The new jobs being created during the implementation phase are an additional benefit and HIE welcomes the opportunity for individuals in the region to take advantage of them to establish a career in this growing sector.”
BT said it expects fibre broadband to be extended to 85% of Scottish premises by the end of 2015 and around 95% by the end of 2017 as a result of the next-generation broadband project and the company’s wider commercial programme.