Chamber and committees

Our 100% commitment will be delivered through three strands of activity - the three R100 contracts (North, Central and South), our Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme and commercial coverage. The contracts we have signed with BT will go significantly beyond our superfast commitment by delivering a substantial amount of full-fibre connections, meaning many premises could be capable of accessing download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit (1,000 Megabits) per second.

The fact that much of the technology delivered will go beyond our original commitment means the civil works will take time, with contract build to continue after the end of 2021.

The Scottish Government remains committed to providing support to ensure that everyone can access superfast broadband services by the end of 2021 - delivered through the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS), which we launched on 14 September. Around 50 suppliers are already registered to deliver services.

Anyone whose home or business broadband speed is less than 30 Megabits per second (Mbps), and where there are no plans under R100 or commercial build to bring superfast broadband to their address by the end of 2021, will be eligible for an SBVS voucher.

Properties that are not expected to receive any connection at all through the three R100 lot contracts or through commercial investment will be eligible for a main voucher, offering a subsidy worth up to £5,000 per property. We have secure a commitment from UK Ministers to top up this SBVS voucher value by up to £1,500 for residential premises and up to £3,500 for business premises through their Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme product.

Properties where superfast broadband roll-out is planned, but unlikely to be delivered until after 31 December 2021, will be eligible for an interim voucher under SBVS (UK Ministers do not top-up this value), offering a subsidy worth up to £400 to deliver a connection. We will also ensure that those in the most difficult-to-reach locations, such as island and remote rural premises, can secure vital connectivity by providing an additional subsidy of £250.

The interim SBVS voucher can be used to access a range of technologies as the scheme is technology-neutral, and we expect this level of subsidy will be sufficient to deliver a temporary solution through fixed wireless, mobile or satellite to most premises. Crucially, use of an interim voucher will not prevent the deployment of the planned R100 intervention for those premises – for example, where fibre to the premises is ultimately scheduled under the R100 programme – but will allow access to an interim superfast service using alternative technologies, while the build on the longer term solution is undertaken.