Around 65,000 Scottish homes and businesses, including many in some of the most isolated areas of the United Kingdom, will receive access to fast, reliable broadband
Around 65,000 Scottish homes and businesses, including many in some of the most isolated areas of the United Kingdom, will receive access to fast, reliable broadband as government helps break down barriers to opportunity and boost economic growth under the Plan for Change.
Digitally isolated communities across Scotland, where using the web can be almost impossible due to outdated infrastructure, will be able to work, bank, shop and study online without buffering, thanks to gigabit-capable broadband funded by the UK government.
Several remote islands off Scotland’s west coast will benefit, including thousands of premises across the Outer Hebrides – a chain of over 100 islands where currently just seven per cent of premises can access gigabit broadband, among the lowest in the UK – as well as the isles of Skye, Islay and Tiree.
Rural parts of the Highlands will also be covered by this boost, such as Applecross, an extremely remote peninsula, and Durness, the most north-westerly village on the UK mainland.
The £157 million contract with Openreach is the largest ever under Project Gigabit. It will power up efforts to tackle digital exclusion across the entire UK – delivering the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, from boosting local economic growth through giving businesses the vital tools they need, to improving access to public services like virtual NHS appointments.
Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant said:
Openreach Deputy CEO, Katie Milligan, said:
Yvonne Boles, Senior Site Manager of Tayside Reserves at RSPB Scotland, said:
The deal was struck under an £800 million agreement with Openreach announced last August as part of wider plans to end the plight of digital exclusion across rural Britain, with work already underway to connect over 227,000 premises in hard-to-reach parts of Wales and England as part of the agreement. The agreement is funded by the UK government who will work alongside the Scottish Government and Openreach to deliver the coverage.
The contract will support significant work already being carried out through the Scottish Government’s R100 programme. It also builds on another Project Gigabit contract in Scotland, awarded in February through a partnership with the Scottish Government, for up to 11,000 premises in the Borders and Midlothian. More contracts are also expected to be signed later this year for Orkney, Shetland and across the east of Scotland.
Scottish Government Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said:
Project Gigabit targets places too difficult or expensive for providers to reach in their commercial build and would otherwise be left behind with older digital infrastructure. The world-class networks being built across the UK is laying the foundations needed to kickstart economic growth, creating and supporting thousands of high-skilled jobs, empowering industries of all kinds to innovate and increase productivity by taking up digital technology.
It’s also crucial to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring people can access vital services now and in the future, no matter where they are, from government services like Universal Credit and HMRC to online courses for those looking to improve their job prospects through new skills to helping pensioners combat loneliness by catching up with loved ones over higher quality video calls.