Superfast broadband which can deliver download speeds of 30Mbps will reach all premises in Scotland by the end of 2021, it has been announced by the Scottish government.
According to the Prior Information Notice (PIN) published by the government, the new R100 programme will be launched to enable up to 300k additional Scottish homes to get high speed broadband, while achieving the ambitious target in the next five years.
The R100 scheme will expand the current 85% superfast coverage, achieved by the on-going Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programmes to 95% by mid-2018.
“We are making good progress, having met our interim target of 85% for the whole of Scotland six months ahead of schedule, but there is more we need to do to ensure we achieve our digital ambitions.” said Fergus Ewing, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural affairs & Connectivity.
However, the fibre rollouts are expected to take more time to reach the final 5% of the region which comprises of rural and remotest areas of Scotland.
“As announced in the Programme for Government, we are putting digital connectivity at the heart of our agenda and delivering 100% superfast broadband for Scotland by the end of the next Parliament is one of our priorities.” the Cabinet Secretary added.