In a groundbreaking development, Openreach, in collaboration with the Scottish Government’s £600 million Reaching 100% programme, has successfully enhanced broadband connectivity for approximately 800 households and businesses in Orkney. This strategic initiative, part of the R100 rollout, signifies a major leap forward in providing full fibre technology to 40,000 of Scotland’s most challenging-to-connect properties.
Recent expansions in Evie, Finstown, Tankerness, and Kirkwall underscore the program’s impact, with imminent upgrades slated for addresses in Stromness, Birsay, and Orphir. Moreover, significant planning is underway to extend the build to locations in Shapinsay, Westray, and Eday in the coming year.
Full fibre broadband, surpassing the Scottish Government’s initial commitment to superfast services, offers speeds over 30 times faster. This transformative leap positions Orkney residents for a digital future, ensuring ultra-fast and reliable connections that are essential for a wide array of online activities.
Residents can verify the rollout status for their addresses and register for updates at www.openreach.co.uk/ultrafastfullfibre. Registrations play a crucial role in Openreach’s meticulous planning, ensuring a responsive approach to community demand. Once full fibre is available, residents can seamlessly arrange service upgrades through their chosen providers.
Scottish Government Innovation Minister Richard Lochhead underscored the significance of full fibre upgrades for homes and businesses in locales like Finstown and Tankerness. Lochhead emphasized that the R100 contracts are pivotal in delivering future-proofed digital infrastructure, fostering economic growth and enriching the economic prospects of communities across Scotland.
Full fibre broadband not only delivers more reliable and resilient connections but also provides a future-proofed foundation with fewer faults, consistent speeds, and ample capacity to meet ever-growing data demands across multiple devices. Its benefits span everything from data-hungry streaming of movies, sports, and TV to online gaming. For businesses, an ultra-reliable connection contributes to productivity, efficiency, and security, supporting day-to-day tasks like video calls, cloud applications, online banking, and customer experiences.
Robert Thorburn, Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland, highlighted the R100 programme’s commitment to bringing fast and reliable broadband to the hardest-to-reach places in Scotland. Recognizing the complexity of the build, Thorburn underscored collaborative efforts with Orkney Islands Council and build partners to minimize disruption to residents, emphasizing the magnitude of this civil undertaking.
