The Scottish Government has announced that it has surpassed its commitment to deliver gigabit-capable broadband connections to 20,000 Scots homes and businesses last year.
In 2024-2025, a record 27,000 premises were equipped with faster broadband through the government’s Reaching 100% (R100) programme, exceeding a Programme for Government commitment by more than a third.
R100 is a £600+ million scheme for improving digital connectivity across Scotland, connecting around 113,000 properties in the north, south, and Central Belt. It’s cited as one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes in Europe.
The R100 contracts, being delivered by Openreach, have now enabled more than 80,000 faster broadband connections across the country thus far, with 80% of all R100 contract build to take place in rural areas.
Originally conceived as a superfast broadband programme, R100 now provides a gigabit-capable, Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) connection—a speed more than 30 times faster than superfast broadband—in around 99% of cases.
Connections have been made across the country, from Killantringan Lighthouse in Dumfries and Galloway, to Stornoway in the Wester Isles and Baltasound on Shetland.
Business minister Richard Lochhead recently visited Loch Katrine in the Trossachs to hear how access to faster broadband speeds is helping transform opportunities for local business.
“Fast, reliable broadband is a fundamental building block for economic growth,” he said. “The Scottish Government’s R100 programme is one of the most ambitious and complex digital infrastructure programmes in Europe, rolling out connections in some of the most challenging locations in the country to help businesses and communities prosper.
“Despite telecommunications being reserved to the UK Government, our commitment to the R100 programme illustrates this government’s commitment to delivering the digital connectivity people and businesses need to succeed.
“Exceeding our 2024-25 delivery target was helped by record Scottish Government funding and an ongoing partnership with Openreach maximising the opportunities to deliver fast broadband to even more homes and businesses.”
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James Fraser, the CEO and lead trustee of the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust at Loch Katrine, also said: “The impact of the introduction of fibre cable connections at Loch Katrine has been transformative for many aspects of our core business and our tenants.
“With an increasing trend to digital bookings for cruises, eco lodges, cycle hire and meals out, having high speed digital connections is critical to the success of our business and other businesses on the lochside.
“Previously our digital speeds were very poor leading to customer dissatisfaction, loss of bookings and customer complaints, particularly from guests staying overnight in our eco lodges or in campervans in our car parks.
“With the higher speeds now available there has been a marked improvement in digital services with increased customer satisfaction levels.”
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