Broadband for all
Scotland's Communities
by end of 2005

Scottish Executive
News Release

25th April 2005

Every community in Scotland will have access to affordable broadband services by the end of 2005, thanks to a contract signed between the Executive and BT.

Under the Executive's Broadband for Scotland's Rural and Remote Areas initiative, BT will enable 378 exchanges to deliver basic broadband to 51,000 households and 5,400 businesses across Scotland that would not have otherwise received the service.

All of these exchanges are in remote and rural areas where it would not have been commercially feasible to provide broadband without Executive support.

Twenty local authority areas from the Shetland Islands to the Scottish Borders will benefit.

Announcing the contract, Enterprise Minister Jim Wallace said that the Executive is stepping in to help provide the 'vital technology' in areas like this where the commercial market won't deliver.

He said:

"We made a commitment in our Partnership Agreement to ensure that every community in Scotland has access to broadband by the end of 2005. We are now well on the way to delivering on this.

"We cannot allow remote and rural communities to fall behind simply because they cannot access this vital technology that can make a positive difference to many aspects of our lives.

"We have made it clear again and again that economic growth is our top priority. By providing access to broadband technology in Scotland and the huge benefits it brings, we are putting in place an important business and educational tool to facilitate economic growth in every community."

Bob Downes, the director of BT Scotland, said:

"Delivering broadband to all of Scotland has been at the heart of BT Scotland strategy in recent years.

"Having invested in the region of £100 million to bring broadband to 97.8 per cent of the country by this summer, we welcome this opportunity to complete the framework. This will also be welcome news for our workforce of almost 12,000.

"We look forward to working with the Scottish Executive to overcome Scotland's unique geographical challenges and use technology to place Scotland at the technological, if not physical, epicentre of Europe.

"Ubiquitous broadband availability brings great opportunities for Scotland in education, public services and business life, and will place Scotland among the leaders of the G8 countries in terms of availability. BT Scotland is delighted to have been entrusted with a lead role in securing the country's economic future."

Engineering work to deliver the roll out of broadband services across Scotland's rural and remote communities will begin this week, with broadband services being available from the first enabled exchanges this summer.

The 20 local authority areas to benefit under the project are:

• Aberdeenshire
• Angus
• Argyll and Bute
• Scottish Borders
• Dumfries and Galloway
• East Ayrshire
• East Lothian
• East Renfrewshire
• Fife
• Highland
• Midlothian
• Moray
• North Ayrshire
• Orkney
• Perth and Kinross
• Shetland
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• Stirling
• West Dunbartonshire

The Broadband for Scotland's Rural and Remote Areas Initiative has been funded as part of the Executive's £24 million broadband strategy for Scotland, and has also received financial support of up to £5 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme in Scotland.