From Dial-Up to Lightning Fast: Rural homes set for turbo-charged broadband after mega cash deal…
Remote parts of Scotland are set for a major broadband upgrade after a £50 million funding deal was secured to expand ultra-fast fibre to more than 150 small towns and villages.
The cash pot – £40 million from investment firm AlphaReal and £10 million from the Scottish National Investment Bank – will be used by Highland Broadband to ramp up its rural network in the coming year.
The firm has already connected half of homes and businesses in the Highlands to full fibre, but says the new funding will help reach some of the country’s most isolated communities.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes hailed the deal as “a significant success story for Scotland”, saying the rollout has “made a real difference” to rural jobs and economies.
CEO Gavin Rodgers said the money means the company now has “the funding and the capability” to push ahead with expansion across the Highlands and beyond.
