Full Fibre Broadband Reaches Remote UK Island of Iona for the First Time UPDATE

Engineers working for Openreach (BT) have started to extend the operator’s new 1.8Gbps speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband ISP network to the beautifully remote Inner Hebrides island of Iona, which is sometimes described as the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland and sits just off the Ross of Mull on the country’s western coast.

The tiny island is home to a local population of around 177, although this is often boosted by seasonal workers who swell the community during the summer and more than 100,000 tourists (inc. pilgrims) who visit each year – often to see the Iona Abbey. But until now the local fixed broadband lines would have struggled to deliver more than a handful of megabits per second, assuming locals didn’t get Starlink (satellite) instead.

The good news is that Openreach’s engineers have now begun to extend their full fibre broadband network to the island, which forms part of their roll-out contract under the Scottish Government’s £600m Reaching 100% (R100) programme.

The operator’s new network already exists on the neighbouring island of Mull. The fibre path for Mull and Iona currently travels 90km from Tobermory on Mull through a fibre optic repeater in Pennyghael and on to new signal-boosting equipment (i.e. transmitting optical fibre signals over long distances) in a specially-adapted street cabinet in Fionnphort, then under the sea to Iona via a new subsea fibre optic cable (here).

The fibre cables on Iona will then follow existing 19th and 20th-century roads leading north from the main village of Baile Mòr and through the Iona Conservation Area to provide telecoms links to farms in the northern, southern and western extents of the island. The build will pass close to three historic monuments – Iona Nunnery, Maclean’s Cross and the iconic Iona Abbey – and through areas where there’s high potential for survival of archaeological remains from the Prehistoric, early Medieval and Medieval periods.

Fraser Rowberry, Openreach Chief Engineer for Scotland, said:

“As anyone who’s been to Iona knows, it’s a truly special and spiritual place. Its historic and environmental importance make it an ultra-sensitive build location.

Our top considerations have been protecting precious archaeological sites like the Street of the Dead and the grounds of the Abbey, avoiding the corncrake breeding season; and making sure we don’t disrupt the tourist trade, which is vital for the local economy.

Iona residents couldn’t have given us a warmer welcome. Young islanders who risk missing some mainland schooling each winter, seasonal workers and businesses are all overjoyed at the prospect of better broadband.”

Harrie Burney, National Trust for Scotland, said:

“Iona is a pretty special place in terms of the history of Scotland. A lot of people know Iona for the Abbey and St Columba but it also has a history that goes a lot further back. It’s also vital that we protect the nature on the island, with the works scheduled to manage this carefully.

Our aim is to care for, protect, and share this special place for the benefit of everyone. We’re working with the engineers to put archaeological monitoring in place and make sure we’re not going to cause any disturbance, but there’s also an opportunity to uncover new finds along the way.

Connectivity on Iona is a real issue and something that’s very important to the population here. There’s been a real buzz around the connectivity improving, so this project will make a huge difference.”

As above, Openreach’s engineers have already begun to deployment the new network on Iona, with works within the scheduled area around Iona Abbey taking place at a later date once Scheduled Monument Consent is agreed with Historic Environment Scotland. Engineers expect the first islanders to be connected in “early 2025“.

After Iona, the operator is also expecting similar work to start on Tiree, another Inner Hebrides Island, within the “next few weeks“.

UPDATE 3rd Feb 2025

The islands’ (Iona) first ultrafast broadband connections are now live. Meanwhile, the Tiree rollout is continuing, with engineers needing to complete work before rare corncrakes and other bird species return to breed in the Spring.

Around 500 Tiree premises which do not currently have access to a superfast broadband service will benefit from this phase of R100 investment. Further upgrades are expected in future cycles to increase speeds for those who currently have access to a superfast broadband service.