Over 60,000 premises are set to benefit from access to gigabit-capable broadband.<\/p>\n
The award of the \u00a3105 million Project Gigabit contract to GoFibre gives the green light for the broadband rollout to over 63,000 properties across the north-east.<\/p>\n
Over 63,000 premises across the north-east are set to benefit from gigabit broadband access.<\/p>\n
Among the areas set to benefit from the scheme is an area stretching from Cullen to Forres and as far west as Castle Stuart near Inverness airport.<\/p>\n
The project is funded by the UK government and procured and delivered by the Scottish Government.<\/p>\n
The first connections are due to be delivered by summer 2026.<\/p>\n
The contract is the third to be awarded as part of the Project Gigabit programme in Scotland. It follows a \u00a325 million contract being awarded to GoFibre to benefit around 11,000 premises in the Scottish Borders and East Lothian and a \u00a3157 million contract awarded to Openreach to provide access to more than 65,000 premises in the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, together with some of the most hard-to-reach areas across the country.<\/p>\n
Business Minister and Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said: \u201cFast, reliable broadband is a fundamental building block for Scotland\u2019s economy and for our society.<\/p>\n
Business Minister and Moray MSP Richard Lochhead.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s why we are committed to ensuring connections across the country meet the needs of people and businesses, delivering faster connections to more than a million premises over the last decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cProject Gigabit will build on and complement the transformational work already being delivered through the Scottish Government\u2019s Reaching 100 per cent programme and I look forward to working with the UK government, as broadband remains a reserved matter, to ensure we deliver more gigabit-capable connections to rural communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
UK Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant commented: “Our investment in north-east Scotland will overhaul broadband networks in hard-to-reach areas with slower internet speeds, putting an end to annoying buffering, and creating exciting new opportunities for local businesses and communities.<\/p>\n
“Now the contract is signed, work can begin to deliver internet upgrades that many towns and villages sorely need. It shows how the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change is delivering for people across Scotland, helping to drive economic growth and tear down the UK’s digital divide.”<\/p>\n
GoFibre CEO Neil Conaghan added: “This Project Gigabit contract award is a hugely exciting development for the north-east of Scotland, and for GoFibre, transforming broadband connectivity across a substantial region of Scotland.<\/p>\n
“As a fast-growing Scottish independent broadband company, GoFibre is committed to improving connectivity in rural and hard-to-reach areas and we cannot wait to get started on this major infrastructure project. Building on the back of our Project Gigabit contract award for the Borders and East Lothian earlier this year, it shows GoFibre is at the heart of rural broadband development in Scotland.”<\/p>\n
Project Gigabit was launched by the UK government to enable hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. It targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers\u2019 commercial plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds.<\/p>\n
The programme is targeted at premises which fall out with the Scottish Government\u2019s Reaching 100 per cent (R100) programme<\/p>\n