The Scottish Government's R100 programme has now delivered faster broadband to over 100,000 homes and businesses. Progress worth noting — and an estimated 9% of Scottish households still without any internet connection worth noting more.
The R100 Reaching 100% programme has passed a milestone: more than 100,000 homes and businesses in Scotland now have faster broadband connections as a result of the £697 million programme. An independent evaluation found that 76% of connected businesses reported increased productivity, and around two-thirds of residents said they felt more connected as a result.
This is real progress, and it should be acknowledged. R100 is doing something that commercial providers were not willing to do.
But the same period tells a more uncomfortable story: an estimated 9% of Scottish households — around 490,000 people — still have no internet connection at all. The programme aims to reach another 113,000 premises by March 2028. That still leaves a substantial portion of Scotland behind.
And connectivity is not only about whether a wire reaches a building. Even where R100 delivers infrastructure, the questions of affordability, device access, digital skills, and language barriers remain unanswered by any current programme. Coverage is necessary. It is not sufficient.
The UK Government has separately announced a £157 million Project Gigabit contract for remote Scottish communities in the Highlands, Outer Hebrides, and islands including Skye, Islay, and Tiree. Again, investment worth welcoming — and investment that should be accompanied by clear, public reporting on who benefits and when.
Vodafone withdrew its £12/month Essentials tariff, raising its entry price to £20. Virgin Media's Essential Broadband at £12.50 is now the lowest verified social tariff on the market — a reminder that these deals and their prices shift, so it's worth checking before you apply.
The government-backed Shared Rural Network has switched on its 140th mobile mast, with 49 now live in Scotland — including a second site on Islay that restores signal from all four networks to an area that previously had none.
The government-backed Shared Rural Network switched on its 50th mobile mast in Scotland on the remote Ardnamurchan peninsula, extending all-four-operator 4G coverage across more than 1,900 square kilometres of rural Scotland — an area larger than Edinburgh and Glasgow combined.
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