Work on delivering superfast broadband to Highlands expected to start in New Year after OpenReach signs £384 million contract
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The contract to deliver superfast broadband to the north of Scotland including the Highlands has finally been signed – just five months before the project was scheduled to be delivered.
The SNP vowed at the last election to complete the R100 project before the next election but that will not now happen after numerous delays to the signing of the £384 million for the so-called north lot.
The whole project has been mired in delays amid a botched tendering process that even saw a rejected bidder launch legal action on the handling of the process.
So bad were the delays that a second multi-million voucher scheme was launched to help people get online.
OpenReach is expected to start work in the New Year after connectivity minister Paul Wheelhouse made the announcement.
He said: "Scotland has some of the most challenging locations anywhere in Europe for providing telecoms infrastructure and we are taking additional steps to provide superfast access to some of the hardest-to-reach areas.
“More than 80 per cent of the build we are funding will provide full fibre to the premises and speeds of up to one Gigabit per second.
“Complex engineering work to lay 16 new subsea cables will provide resilient connections for our most remote communities and download speeds equal to that experienced in our most urban areas.
"We have also developed plans, in parallel with main infrastructure investment, to ensure our 100 per cent superfast commitment is met with our Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.
“This will ensure that everyone can access and benefit from this world-leading digital capability.”
Highland regional MSP Edward Mountain welcomed the news but said it comes far too late as many in the north will go without proper broadband for another six to seven years.
“At long last and after years of delay, I am pleased to see that the SNP Government has finally signed the contract to deliver broadband to the Highlands," he said.
"The SNP promised to deliver this by 2021 but they are on course to break that promise.
"It is more likely that Highlanders will have to wait until 2026 or 2027 for a reliable internet connection.
"Work should have started years ago to deliver broadband which, as the pandemic has highlighted, Highlanders need now more than ever.”
