Issued by: Department for Science. Innovation and Technology, Building Digital UK, and The Scottish Government

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 homes and businesses in Scotland to gain access to lightning-fast broadband for the first time, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and kickstart economic growth under the Government’s Plan for Change

• UK Government signs largest ever contract worth £157 million to bring gigabit-capable internet to the Highlands, Outer Hebrides, and hard-to-reach areas across most of Scotland

• Rollout to help break down barriers to opportunity for those struggling to get online and boost local economic growth under the Government’s Plan for Change

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Digitally isolated communities across Scotland, where using the web can be almost impossible due to outdated infrastructure, will be able to work, bank, shop and study online without buffering, thanks to gigabit-capable broadband funded by the UK government.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:

"Digital exclusion for people living and working in hard-to-reach areas across Scotland can be a huge obstacle to living a better and healthier life. Elderly and vulnerable people could miss out on the best treatment options in North Ayrshire, while budding entrepreneurs could be held back from their dream of running a successful business in Moray.

"With our recent Digital Inclusion Action Plan, we have pledged to take everyone along with us in the digital revolution so that we don’t entrench existing inequalities as technological progress races ahead.

"This huge UK Government investment is a commitment to using technology to make lives in Scotland better as well as turbocharging local economies to deliver on our growth mission under the government’s Plan for Change."

Openreach Deputy CEO, Katie Milligan, said:

"Full fibre is the UK’s most reliable broadband technology, and more than half of Scotland’s homes can already order it thanks to Openreach. But we believe everyone deserves access to fast, reliable connections, so we’re proud to be helping extend access to communities that would otherwise be left behind. Our new network’s a catalyst for growth and jobs, with experts predicting it’ll bring a £4.4 billion boost to the Scottish economy and a raft of social and environmental benefits. We’re confident we’ll reach as many as 30 million UK premises by 2030, assuming the right economic conditions exist."

Yvonne Boles, Senior Site Manager of Tayside Reserves at RSPB Scotland, said:

"We fell between a few gaps in local network improvements, but now we have gigabit capable fibre to the RSPB Loch Leven visitor centre, which has been a game changer for us.

"The old internet was constantly going down or being very slow, which impacted our ability to work in the office as well as taking card payments in both the shop and the café.

"We wasted so much time on the phone to IT trying to fix things for us. It’s been such a relief and a benefit to have reliable, powerful internet."

The deal was struck under an £800 million agreement with Openreach announced (https://shorturl.at/ODetK) 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 (https://shorturl.at/FQXVM) 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:

"This new contract brings even more investment to Scotland and we are committed to working with the UK Government and Openreach to drive efficiencies across both the R100 and Project Gigabit programmes and maximise gigabit coverage.

"Through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme and our ongoing efforts with R100, over one million faster broadband connections have been delivered across Scotland through public investment – developing infrastructure, knowledge and experience that will be essential in ensuring the success of Project Gigabit in Scotland."

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said:

"This £157 million UK Government investment is a game changer for tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the most remote areas of Scotland. Rolling out lightning-fast broadband will equip and inspire local businesses to thrive, enable families to access vital services, and build resilient communities. Our Plan for Change recognises that rural communities are the backbone of our nation and economic growth must reach every corner of Scotland, ensuring that opportunity isn’t determined by postcode but by potential."

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.

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