An internet provider has been awarded a £1.7m contract to provide high speed access for Stirling.

Under the deal announced on Tuesday, CityFibre said it aims to make Stirling a "Gigabit City" through delivering 20km of fibre optic network.

The development of the city-wide roll-out, which will span from Bannockburn to the Stirling Agricultural Centre, is expected to take 14 months and will connect 33 council sites including schools, libraries and offices.

CityFibre said it hoped it would eventually be able to extend the service, which it is providing in partnership with MLL Telecoms, to the majority of the 3000 businesses based in the area.

James McClafferty, CityFibre's head of regional development in Scotland, said: "By providing unlimited bandwidth and true fibre connectivity, CityFibre's privately funded investment in Stirling will benefit all areas of the community.

"As the first organisation to be connected, Stirling Council will, for example, explore the e-learning potential offered by Gigabit connectivity in schools and libraries, whilst improving the use of digital and web-based tools and services for both staff and customers.

"What's more, as the project progresses we expect Stirling to benefit economically as the city becomes more competitive in terms of attracting new businesses, supporting growth amongst existing firms and creating jobs.

"We are already seeing this trend emerge in our Gigabit City projects across the UK and in others throughout the world."

The firm is currently carrying out similar projects in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Stirling Council leader Johanna Boyd said: "This is excellent news for those who live, work and study here.

"This leap forward for our digital connectivity will make our existing businesses more competitive, encourage new businesses to the city centre, and enable us to deliver education and skills programmes, which not only ensure our students are the most digitally skilled in Scotland, but also provide people of all circumstances and skill levels with opportunities for employment."