Around 65,000 digitally isolated communities across Scotland, including many in some of the most remote areas of the country, will receive access to lightning-fast broadband for the first time, after the UK Government announced its largest ever contract with network provider Openreach.

Several remote islands off Scotland’s west coast will benefit, including thousands of premises across the Outer Hebrides, where currently just 7% of premises can access gigabit broadband, as well as the Isles of Skye, Islay and Tiree.  

Rural parts of the Highlands will also be covered by this gigabit boost, such as Applecross, an extremely remote peninsula, and Durness, the most north-westerly village on the UK mainland.  

The government’s £157 million contract with Openreach is the largest ever under Project Gigabit, with ministers hoping it will power efforts to tackle digital exclusion across the entire UK, boosting local economic growth by giving businesses the tools they need, as well as improving access to public services like virtual NHS appointments.

“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,” said UK telecoms minister, Chris Bryant.

“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.

“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.”

The deal was struck under the £800 million agreement with Openreach announced last August as part of wider government 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 contract will also support work already being carried out through the Scottish Government’s R100 programme, and build on another Project Gigabit contract in Scotland, awarded in February through a partnership with the Scottish Government, to connect 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.

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“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,” said Scottish Government business minister, Richard Lochhead.

“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.”