Ultrafast broadband work starts in Western Isles
Openreach is starting work to build a new broadband network in the Western Isles, which will give residents and businesses access to some of the fastest, most reliable internet connections anywhere in Europe.
The once-in-a-generation, full fibre broadband upgrade will let thousands of local people connect multiple devices at gigabit-capable speeds and help businesses trade online and compete for decades to come.
Engineers are building a main fibre spine for Stornoway, which will be used to power full fibre connections into local homes and businesses.
It will also support a wider rollout of the technology in partnership with the Scottish Government, as part of its Reaching 100% (R100) programme, and other funded programmes.
Around 80 per cent of Western Isles properties currently have access to broadband of 30Mbps or more, with seven per cent already connected to full fibre, mainly in new housing or through earlier Scottish Government intervention.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach Scotland Partnership Director, said: "We’re starting a significant effort that will transform connectivity in Na h-Eileanan an Iar in the months and years ahead, and we want to let local people know what to expect.
“They’ll initially see more engineering teams, equipment and vans in and around Stornoway. We’ll deliver harder-to reach properties included in the Scottish Government’s R100 programme alongside our commercial upgrades in the town, and then beyond as the build expands across the islands.
“We always work hard to keep disruption to a minimum. Wherever possible, we’ll use our existing network of ducts and poles to avoid roadworks, new street furniture and disturbance. But there may be places where we need to install new poles, underground ducts and fibre cables because it’s the only way to make sure households get included in the upgrade.”
He added: “Fibre technology is more reliable, resilient and future-proof. It has fewer faults, consistent speeds; and enough capacity to easily meet growing data demands. Research shows connecting everyone to fibre also has a massive economic impact.
Openreach’s new ultrafast Full Fibre network in Scotland now reaches 1.4m properties, and the company plans to roll out the new technology to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026, with an ambition to reach up to 30 million by the end of the decade.
Openreach build partner Circet is helping to deliver the build in the Western Isles. Local people can visit openreach.co.uk/ultrafastfullfibre to register their interest in build updates.
You can find out more about the benefits of an upgrade to Full Fibre broadband on the Openreach website.
ENDS
Build information included in this news release reflects plans at the time of publication. Building a new broadband network across the UK is a complex national engineering programme, so some changes may occur if we encounter unforeseen obstacle
