News Story

The Scottish Government’s rollout of rural broadband has hit 100,000 homes, five years after the initial target date.

The R100 programme was launched to hook up rural homes and businesses with faster internet connections, with the aim of reaching 113,000 premises, former equalities minister Kaukab Stewart told a Holyrood committee last year.

This week, more than 100,000 connections were recorded as part of the £600 million investment.

Business minister Tom Arthur, speaking during a visit to Falkirk Distillery, said: “Fast, reliable internet is essential for modern life it supports businesses, enables remote working, and helps people access services and stay connected with friends and family.

“Across Scotland, this investment is already delivering real benefits and transforming lives and livelihoods.

“Reaching 100,000 connections is a significant milestone for the R100 programme and our wider investment in Scotland’s digital infrastructure.

“We will continue to work with our delivery partners, including Openreach, to maximise the impact of this investment and extend the benefits to more homes and businesses across the country.”

Robert Thorburn, the partnership director for Scotland at broadband infrastructure firm Openreach, added: “This is a fantastic milestone for Scotland.

“Delivering almost all of these connections, our engineers have worked in some of the most challenging locations to bring full fibre to communities that need it most.

“It’s about more than infrastructure it’s about opening up opportunities and helping rural areas thrive for the long term.”