Minister hails success as R100 scheme exceeds target

The government’s landmark Reaching 100 (R100) programme has exceeded its targets, despite initial scepticism about its potential to close the connectivity gap. 

In 2024/25 27,000 premises across the country were equipped with faster broadband via the scheme, exceeding the set target of 20,000. 

The new data comes after the scheme, which has faced numerous setbacks, drew significant criticism from opposition MSPs and local authorities for falling short of its goals. 

Business minister Richard Lochhead said: “Fast, reliable broadband is a fundamental building block for economic growth. The Scottish Government’s R100 programme is one of the most ambitious and complex digital infrastructure programmes in Europe, rolling out connections in some of the most challenging locations in the country to help businesses and communities prosper. 

“Despite telecommunications being reserved to the UK Government, our commitment to the R100 programme illustrates this government’s commitment to delivering the digital connectivity people and businesses need to succeed. 

 “Exceeding our 2024-25 delivery target was helped by record Scottish Government funding and an ongoing partnership with Openreach maximising the opportunities to deliver fast broadband to even more homes and businesses.”  

The scheme was initially set to be completed by 2021, but the government has since pushed back the deadline to 2028 citing legal challenges.  

Tory MSP Douglas Lumsden has described the project as an “abject failure” and, writing for Holyrood’s Local Authorities Guide, Shetland Islands Council leader Emma McDonald, said the scheme would not “solve” the connectivity issues in the area.  

However, Shetland was among the areas that benefitted from the recent upgrade, with connections made in the village of Baltasound in Unst. Other sites which also saw a boost in connectivity included Killantringan Lighthouse in Dumfries and Galloway and Stornoway in the Western Islees. 

Chief executive of the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Trust – a charity based at Loch Katrine – James Fraser said the introduction of fibre cable connection had been “transformative” and led to higher customer satisfaction. 

 He said: “With an increasing trend to digital bookings for cruises, eco lodges, cycle hire and meals out, having high speed digital connections is critical to the success of our business and other businesses on the lochside.   

“Previously our digital speeds were very poor leading to customer dissatisfaction, loss of bookings and customer complaints, particularly from guests staying overnight in our eco lodges or in campervans in our car parks. With the higher speeds now available there has been a marked improvement in digital services with increased customer satisfaction levels.''  

The commitment to connect over 20,000 premises to gigabit capable broadband by March 2025, “through delivery of three regional, multi-year contracts with Openreach” was part of the 2024-2025 Programme for Government. 

Openreach partnership director for Scotland, Robert Thorburn, said:  "It's brilliant to see businesses like the Steamship Sir Walter Scott benefitting from full fibre. We're committed to making sure that the hardest-to-reach homes and businesses in Scotland are connected to the latest generation of broadband technology, giving them access to the same fast, reliable services available in our cities. 

"While building new full fibre networks in rural areas throws up many challenges, our engineers have the skills and experience to overcome these and deserve an enormous amount of credit for their work. We're proud of the role we've played, working alongside the Scottish Government, in hitting this significant milestone – but we know that our work isn't done yet, and we'll continue to connect communities across the country."