Broadband boost set for the isles

Offshore work to connect isles homes and businesses to faster and more reliable broadband services has begun.

Installation of the first of 16 cables is taking place beneath the seabed around Shetland under the £384 million Reaching 100% (R100) North contract.

The project will also connect premises on Eday, Flotta, Hoy, Rousay, Sanday, Shapinsay and Stronsay, as well as nine other Scottish islands, to faster broadband capable of one gigabit per second download speeds. According to the Scottish Government, this is more than 30 times faster than it’s original commitment.

It regards this stage, expected to be completed by September, as a significant step towards enhanced connectivity for people and communities on:

Economy secretary Kate Forbes said: “This installation work demonstrates our commitment to extending access to faster broadband to all areas of Scotland. Once connected, future-proofed broadband will make it easier for islanders to keep in touch, work remotely and access services online. It will also benefit visitors and promote greater regional business productivity in line with our National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

“Scotland has some of the most challenging locations anywhere in Europe for providing telecommunications infrastructure, yet we are determined to deliver access to fibre broadband to every premise in the country. The laying of subsea cables to 15 islands across the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, Shetland and Orkney represents welcome progress to achieving our ambition.”