Digital Forum set to highlight broadband and mobile coverage issues in the Northern Isles

A meeting of the Northern Isles Digital Forum will take place later this month.

The forum is a joint effort by Alistair Carmichael MP, Tavish Scott MSP and Liam McArthur MSP to highlight the problems surrounding digital services in the Northern Isles. It follows successful events in the past, at which representatives of some of the major players in the digital market answered questions from local people.

The guest speakers this month will include Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, and Stuart Robertson, director of digital policy at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), both of whom will oversee a £146 million project intended to bring super-fast, fibre optic broadband to 75 per cent of the people in the north of Scotland.

Encouraging anyone interested in the future of digital connectivity to take part, Mr Carmichael said: “With Brendan Dick and Stuart Robertson, we have two high-profile figures overseeing a £146 million project that could potentially make a real difference to the daily lives of local people. I am thankful to them for taking part in the discussion and look forward to hear their views on what the projects means for Orkney and Shetland.”

The forum will take place in Orkney on Thursday, April 17, from 12pm to 2pm, in the St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall.