Clawback to Boost Scotland’s Highlands Fibre Broadband Cover to 86%

Good news for those living in the rural Highlands and Islands region of Scotland. The £410m Digital Scotland programme with Openreach (BT) has announced that strong take-up of “fibre broadband” means an extra 6,000 premises will be covered via a reinvestment of £2.3m.

At present the project is working to roll-out the FTTC/P based broadband connectivity to 95% of Scotland by December 2017 (around 88% can already access “superfast broadband”), although the target for the Highland and Islands (HIE) region alone is currently just 84% by the end of 2016.

However the clawback (gain share) mechanism in related contracts requires BT to return part of the public investment when adoption of the new service passes beyond the 20% mark in related intervention areas, which can then be reinvested to further improve coverage and connection speeds.

Recently ISPreview.co.uk reported that take-up of “fibre broadband” services in the Highlands and Islands region had hit 22.9% at the end of June 2016 (here) and as a result we now know that this has returned £2.3 million for reinvestment.

Today it’s been confirmed that this reinvestment will help an additional 6,000 premises to access the service, which in turn should raise the coverage expectation from 84% to 86% by the end of 2017.

Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy, said:

“There is nowhere in the UK where a broadband project has made a bigger difference to connectivity than in the Highlands and Islands. This first phase of roll-out has significantly increased access, with coverage across the region to be at least 84%, compared to just 21% that would have been delivered commercially.

Thanks to the success of the DSSB project, I am delighted that more premises than originally planned will now have the opportunity to benefit from reliable broadband.”

Charlotte Wright, Chief Executive at HIE, said:

“Good levels of take-up and efficient delivery of the contract have allowed us to re-invest in the project, extending the coverage in Highlands and Islands further again.

Superfast broadband is now available to order in 200 towns and villages which would not have been reached without the public investment. By the time we are finished in 2017 there will be even more.

The next steps will be to look at how we reach further and ultimately ensure that we can get superfast speeds to all. This will include areas not yet reached, as well as those who are part of the network already but currently too far from the current cabinets to have achieved superfast speeds.”

Apparently Shetland, Orkney, the Outer Hebrides, Highland, Moray and Argyll and Bute can all expect to benefit from an extension to the existing fibre broadband coverage. In addition, four areas which were not initially in the roll-out plan will also see some coverage: Duntulm and Sligachan in Skye; Sandness in Shetland; and Scarista in the Western Isles.

Elsewhere the Scottish Government has committed to deliver 100% coverage by 2021 (here) and they’re already looking at how this can be delivered. In keeping with that a new Open Market Review (OMR) will be conducted later this year to examine what commercial plans there are over the next three years, which should help to identify a revised “intervention area” for future deployments.

Below is a rough progress update on the current and future coverage expectations across the Highlands and Islands region.

Shetland

• Shetland currently has more than 8,000 premises drawn into the fibre network through the project. There are 43 new fibre cabinets live across the islands which are reaching around 71% of premises so far.
• Areas with live services include: Bixter, Brae, Bressay, Cunningsburgh, Gott, Hamnavoe, Hillswick, Lerwick, Quarff, Sandwick, Scalloway, Mossbank, Sullom Voe, Sumburgh, Vidlin, Voe, Walls, Weisdale.
• Areas set to see some roll out (including extended coverage): Bigton, North Roe, Ollaberry, Sandness, Skellister and Symbister.

Coverage in Shetland is making use of Wireless-to-the-Cabinet (WTTC) technology for Bressay and Symbister.

Orkney

• Orkney currently has more than 7,500 premises drawn into the fibre network through the project. There are 34 new fibre cabinets live across the islands which are reaching around 66% of premises so far.
• Areas live include: Burray, Deerness, Evie, Finstown, Harray, Holm, Kirkwall, Orphir, St Margaret’s Hope, Stromness.
• Areas set to see some roll out (including extended coverage): Birsay, Sandwick, Tankerness and Westray exchange areas.

Outer Hebrides

• The Outer Hebrides currently have more than 7,400 premises drawn into the fibre network through the project. There are 56 new fibre cabinets live across the islands which are reaching around 48% of premises so far.
• Areas live include: Back, Balallan, Barvas, Borve, Callanish, Carloway, Crossbost, Eriskay, Garrabost, Harris (Tarbert), Leverburgh, North Tolsta, Shawbost, Stornoway.
• Areas set to see some roll out (including extended coverage): Benbecula, Berneray, Carnan, Castlebay, Gravir, Grogarry, Lochboisdale, Locheport, Lochmaddy, Ness, Northbay, Scarista, Scalpay and Sollas.

Highland

• Highland currently has more than 67,000 premises drawn into the fibre network through the project. There are 267 new fibre cabinets live across the area which, when added to commercial roll-out, are reaching around 80% of premises so far.
• Areas live include: Alness, Ardersier, Ardgay, Ardgour, Ardvasar, Aviemore, Avoch (Fortrose), Ballachulish, Beauly, Bettyhill, Boat of Garten, Bonar Bridge, Broadford, Brora, Cannich, Carrbridge, Castletown, Cawdor, Corpach, Cromarty, Croy, Culbokie, Dingwall, Dochgarroch, Dores, Dornie, Dornie, Dornoch, Drumchardine, Drumnadrochit, Dunbeath, Dunvegan, Duror, Edderton, Embo (Dornoch), Evanton, Fearn, Forss, Fort Augustus, Fort William, Fortrose, Glenurquhart, Golspie, Grantown on Spey, Halkirk, Helmsdale, Invergarry, Invergordon, Inverness, Inverness Culloden, Invershin, John O’Groats, Keiss, Kessock, Kildary, Kiltarlity, Kincraig, Kingussie, Kinlochleven, Kyle, Lochcarron, Lybster, Mallaig, Milton of Leys, Muir of Ord, Munlochy, Nairn, Nethybridge, Newtonmore, Nigg Station, Onich, Plockton, Poolewe, Portmahomack, Portree, Reay, Rogart, Salen, Rosemarkie, Salen, Spean Bridge, Strathpeffer, Strathy, Strontian, Tain, Thrumster, Thurso, Tomatin, Uig, Ullapool, Urray, Watten, Whiteface, Wick.
• Areas set to see some roll out (including extended coverage): Applecross, Aultbea, Arisaig, Badachro, Balmacara, Barrock, Bridge of Westfield, Carbost, Dulnain Bridge, Duntulm, Durness, Edinbane, Farr, Foyers, Gairloch, Garve, Glenelg, Glenshiel, Glenmoriston, Gorthleck, Isle Ornsay, Kilchoan, Kinlochbervie, Kinlocheil, Kinlochewe, Kishorn, Lairg, Latheron, Lochbroom, Lochinver, Melvich, Morvern, Nigg, North Erradale, Poyntzfield, Raasay, Scourie, Shieldaig, Skeabost Bridge, Sligachan, Staffin, Stromeferry, Tongue.

Moray

• Moray currently has more than 29,000 premises drawn into the fibre network through the project. There are 106 new fibre cabinets live across the area which, when added to commercial roll-out, are reaching around 90% of premises so far.
• Areas live: Aberlour, Alves, Brodie, Buckie, Carron, Clochan, Cullen, Dallas, Dufftown, Elgin, Findhorn, Fochabers, Forres, Garmouth (Speybay), Hopeman, Keith, Kingston (Speybay), Kinloss (Findhorn), Lhanbryde, Longmorn, Lossiemouth, Rothes, Rothiemay, Tomintoul.
• Areas under way: Ballindalloch, Glenlivet and Mulben.

Argyll and Bute

• Argyll and Bute currently has more than 20,000 premises drawn into the fibre network. There are 96 new fibre cabinets live across the area which, when added to commercial roll-out, are reaching around 61% of premises so far.
• Areas live: Ardentinny, Aros, Balvicar, Benderloch (Ledaig), Campbeltown, Carradale, Clachan, Connel, Craignure, Dalmally, Dervaig, Dunoon, Ford, Furnace, Innellan, Inveraray, Kilchattan Bay, Kilmartin, Kilmelford, Kilmore, Kilmun, Lochgilphead, Machrihanish, Minard, Oban, Rothesay, Scarinish, Strachur, Tarbert, Taynuilt, Tayvallich, Tighnabruaich, Tobermory, Toward.
• Areas set to see some roll out (including extended coverage): Achnamara, Appin, Barbreck, Bowmore, Cairndow, Coll, Crinan, Glenbarr, Jura, Kilchrenan, Kilfinan, Kilmartin, Lochgoilhead, Port Askaig, Port Charlotte, Port Ellen, Portnahaven, Southend and Whitehouse.

Cumbrae and Arran

• Cumbrae and Arran currently have more than 4,000 premises drawn into the fibre network through the project. There are 24 new fibre cabinets live across the area which are reaching around 87% of premises so far.
• Areas live: Brodick, Corrie, Lamlash, Lochranza, Millport, Pirnmill, Shiskine, Sliddery, Whiting Bay.
• Areas set to see some roll out (including extended coverage): Kildonan