Broadband Highlands Scotland: Fibre Rollout Reaches New Communities

Fibre broadband extends deeper into the Scottish Highlands

More than 3,900 households and businesses in the Highlands are now connected to ultrafast broadband, thanks to the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) programme and Openreach.

Communities in Spean Bridge, Nairn and Brodie have already seen upgrades, joining the 70,000 premises now reached through the R100 build across rural Scotland.

Work is also set to begin in 20 more Highland locations over the next six months, including:

• Isle of Skye: Ardvasar, Portree, Tarskavaig
• Mainland Highlands: Arisaig, Carrbridge, Cairngorm, Cannich, Dalwhinnie, Dalchreichart, Fort Augustus, Glenmoriston, Glenurquhart, Invergarry, Kincraig, Kingussie, Lochailort, Nethybridge, Newtonmore, Mallaig, Tomatin

Government and Openreach working to bridge the digital divide

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:

“Reliable internet isn’t just a convenience – it’s a driver of opportunity for education, public services, remote working and global commerce. That’s why we’re committed to reaching every corner of Scotland.”

The R100 programme, backed by a £600 million investment, is being delivered by Openreach and its build partners to ensure fast, resilient broadband reaches Scotland’s hardest-to-serve communities.

Fibre rollout Highlands: Connecting people and driving growth

Robert Thorburn, Openreach Partnership Director, added:

“This is a milestone for the Highlands. Our engineers are deploying future-proof Full Fibre technology that puts rural communities on par with city centres.”

The benefits of Full Fibre broadband include:

• Speeds 30x faster than legacy broadband
• Greater network reliability with fewer faults
• Enough capacity for multiple devices and future digital demand
• A boost to business productivity and rural digital inclusion

Residents can check availability at openreach.co.uk/r100 and place orders via their preferred broadband provider once services go live.

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