About R100
Bringing faster broadband to Scotland is one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes in Europe and as such, digital connectivity is a key part of the Digital Scotland Strategy. It sets out the measures which will ensure that Scotland will fulfil its potential in a constantly evolving digital world.
Reaching 100% programme
The Scottish Government is committed to enabling access to faster broadband.
It is doing this through the three strands of R100 activity – the over £600 million R100 contracts, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) and ongoing commercial coverage.
Contracts were awarded to BT and the network is being delivered by Openreach across three geographical areas. All of the planned R100 contract build in the South and North, and the remaining build in Central will be gigabit capable fibre to the premises which is more than 30 times faster than the original commitment. As much of the technology delivered will go beyond the original superfast commitment, the engineering works will take time and will be delivered in phases over the coming years.
R100 contracts are expected to be completed in 2028.
So what does the R100 contract build look like?
R100 Scottish broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS)
The R100 SBVS can provide help in the form of a subsidy worth up to £5,000. If your home or business broadband speed is less than 30Mbps and your property is not in plans to receive a superfast connection through the R100 contracts or commercial build you may be eligible for the voucher scheme.
Commercial coverage
Alongside delivery of the R100 contracts and R100 SBVS, monitoring the roll-out of commercial broadband build is a key part of the R100 programme. A variety of technical solutions can be provided by commercial operators, including Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), Fixed Wireless Access and Satellite broadband.
As outlined in Ofcom’s December 2023 report, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services provide “nationwide broadband coverage, including in harder-to-reach areas”. This ensures that everyone in Scotland – regardless of where they live – can access a commercial ultrafast broadband connection.
Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme
DDSSB was key element of the as a wider Digital Scotland programme at the time and supported the Scottish Government’s aim to make Scotland a world-class digital nation by 2020.
The £463 million DSSB programme surpassed expectations, connecting over 950,600 premises to fibre broadband – over 150,000 premises more than originally anticipated.