“There’s been more good progress in our efforts to connect Scotland’s hardest-to-reach locations” – Katie Milligan, Openreach

Broadband network provider Openreach has revealed a number of rural parts of Scotland that are in line for full fibre broadband as it pushes ahead with its upgrade programme.

The BT Group offshoot said Scottish Government contracts have now delivered faster internet access to around 70,000 rural and island households and businesses across the country. According to new figures, around 200 locations saw deployment of full fibre broadband in the last six months, as Openreach engineers continued work on the “Reaching 100%” (R100) contracts.

The £600 million broadband rollout extended from Yell and Unst in Shetland to west coast islands like Mull and Luing, the Trossachs and the small villages of Eskdalemuir and Waterbeck in Dumfries and Galloway. The next places set for upgrading include villages on the Isle of Skye, the port of Mallaig, Hamnavoe in Shetland and parts of the Cairngorms National Park.

An Openreach engineer working on a broadband connection in one of the more remote areas of the country.

It comes after Openreach last month said its digital upgrade programme could deliver a £4 billion-plus boost to the Scottish economy and help reverse depopulation.

Full fibre broadband offers speeds more than 30 times faster than the Scottish Government’s original superfast targets, supporting data-hungry activities such as video streaming and online gaming.

Openreach chief commercial officer Katie Milligan said: “There’s been more good progress in our efforts to connect Scotland’s hardest-to-reach locations. Our engineers are showing real innovation to upgrade offshore communities sustainably, putting them on a digital par with city centres while protecting their unique environments.

“We’re excited to see more people moving to full fibre services, and we encourage local businesses and residents to check online to see if they can get a faster, more reliable service.”

Business Minister Richard Lochhead added: “Our Reaching 100% digital connectivity programme is bringing faster, reliable broadband to more people across Scotland every single day.

“Reliable internet isn’t just a convenience. It provides better access to education and public services, enables remote working and provides more opportunities for rural businesses to reach global markets. That’s why we’re committed to extending coverage where upgrades are most needed.”

Residents can check if their property is ready for connection and register for updates at www.openreach.co.uk/r100.

Openreach reveals the Scottish rural locations that are next in line for full-fibre broadband

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