While full fibre coverage in Scotland has increased from 29% to 36%, the nation still falls behind the rest of the UK in terms of this kind of coverage. 

Intelligens Consulting have published a 2023 ‘State of Fibre’ update, tracking the progress of fibre broadband roll outs across the country since June 2022.

Scotland is currently five percent behind the UK average as of January 2023, whereas it was only four percent behind in June 2022. 

Aberdeen is the top performing spot in Scotland, with 77% of premises in the county with access to full fibre broadband. 

Edinburgh and Midlothan remain in the top five counties in Scotland, and are now joined by Clackmannanshire and Renfrewshire thanks to their progress. 

Renfrewshire’s climb in the rankings is mainly thanks to the 2020 fibre intervention of Intelligens Consulting which has accelerated their fibre uptake, now currently at 69% availability. 

Increasing its full fibre availability by 22% in just six months, Renfrewshire is Scotland’s second highest performing region. 

However, Dundee saw the biggest increase in fibre availability, with an additional 30% of premises since June 2022. 

Clackmannanshire saw a 14% increase, with Glasgow City and Midlothian following close behind rising by 13% and 12% respectively.  

Still, no Scottish county has cracked the UK top ten full fibre local authorities. 

Recommended

• Scottish Fintechs Raising Record Amounts of Investment
• Cabinet Office launches consultation on Gov data sharing
• Charities Offered Free Cybersecurity Support by NCSC

As of January 2023, the number of UK premises with access to full fibre broadband was at 41%, an increase of eight percent since June 2022. 

Scotland has not seen as much growth compared to the rest of the UK, with England’s fibre coverage growing 8% overall since June 2022. 

The report updates may not reflect the direct challenges Scotland faces in introducing full fibre broadband connectivity to more rural and remote areas compared to the rest of the UK. 

Get all the latest news from DIGIT direct to your inbox

Our newsletter covers the latest technology and IT news from Scotland and beyond, as well as in-depth features and exclusive interviews with leading figures and rising stars.

To subscribe, click here.