Wireless ISP WiFi Scotland Brings Full Fibre Broadband to Rural Moray

Some 43 homes and businesses around remote rural parts of Moray in the Scottish Highlands have gained access to gigabit broadband speeds thanks to a new deployment by local ISP WiFi Scotland. The provider was able to harness public funding via the R100 Voucher Scheme (SBVS) to connect premises around the Craigellachie and Ben Aigan areas.

Just to recap. The Scottish Government’s R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) typically offers grants worth up to £5,000 to help deliver a permanent “superfast broadband” connection for properties with no planned deployment of state or commercial superfast broadband (i.e. properties that can’t yet access speeds of at least 30Mbps). This can be boosted up to £6,500 for residential homes and £8,500 for businesses when combined with the UK government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS).

Some areas just outside of the Craigellachie and Ben Aigan areas can already access modern full fibre broadband networks via Openreach, but quite a few properties remain stuck on much slower broadband connectivity (often slower ADSL and FTTC lines). At least they were until WiFi Scotland harnessed the R100 voucher scheme to deploy a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network in the area.

For a retired couple in Craigellachie, the difference has been obvious. Previously, their best download speed was just 0.5Mbps, which on today’s modern internet is hardly usable. Mobile coverage was also unreliable, often forcing them to drive a mile away to complete online transactions. “It’s undeniably life-changing, and a relief. We can now manage our affairs efficiently, enjoy streaming without buffering, and stay in touch with our grandchildren hundreds of miles away,” said the couple.

Angus Munro, WiFi Scotland Partner, said:

“Working with the R100 SBVS has allowed us to deliver full fibre broadband to some of Scotland’s most rural areas. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact reliable, high-speed connectivity is having on people’s daily lives.”

The news didn’t include any details on the project’s total cost or a clear coverage map, although it’s clearly had a big impact and the hope is that the new network may eventually stretch beyond its currently quite limited patch of coverage. Sadly, the ISP hides its package details behind an availability checker, and we’re not sure precisely which addresses fall within the reach of this new network, thus we’re unable to uncover further package details.