Over 33,000 South Lanarkshire premises have connected to fibre-based broadband after Scottish Government investment

Collette Stevenson MSP has welcomed news that 33,106 premises in South Lanarkshire have been connected to fibre-based broadband thanks to £1 billion of investment from the Scottish Government.

The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme, which launched in 2014, has connected over 950,600 premises in Scotland to fibre-based broadband – over 150,000 more than originally anticipated.

East Kilbride representative Ms Stevenson said: “I welcome that 33,106 premises in East Kilbride and across South Lanarkshire have been connected to fibre-based broadband thanks to direct investment from the Scottish Government and its £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme.

“Over 950,600 premises across Scotland now have access to fibre-based broadband – delivering for both the community and the economy.

“We know how essential fast and reliable broadband is for both households and businesses in our day-to-day lives, and this ambitious programme underlines the Scottish Government’s commitment to improving digital connectivity and creating a green, growing economy."

The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme launched in 2014 and connected more than 950,600 premises to fibre-based broadband – over 150,000 more than originally anticipated. The build was completed in 2020, with independent analysis showing that the programme is delivering £12 of benefits to the economy for every £1 of public funding.

The £600 million Reaching 100% (R100) programme, one of the most ambitious and complex digital infrastructure programmes in Europe is now rolling out connections in some of the country’s most challenging rural locations.

Clydesdale MSP Màiri McAllan, the Cabinet Minister with responsibility for Net Zero and Energy, said: "Fast and reliable broadband has never been so important: it is an increasingly vital tool for everything from work and leisure, healthcare and education."

She added: “This is precisely why the Scottish Government has prioritised investment in digital connectivity in the 2024-25 Budget. Indeed, despite telecoms being reserved, we have now committed to investing more than £650 million across the DSSB and R100 programmes, recognising that faster broadband is a key building block for a green and growing economy.

“Enabling more than one million connections to faster broadband is a landmark achievement in delivering this vision, and we are fully committed to ensuring as many people as possible can benefit from the advantages of future-proofed digital infrastructure to run businesses and services across the country."

Chief Engineer for lead delivery partner Openreach Scotland Fraser Rowberry said: "Scotland's digital journey is a story of resilience and progress. From adapting to remote work and learning during the pandemic to expanding ultrafast internet access, we've come a long way. Today’s milestone marks a massive engineering success, connecting people and businesses from Shetland to Stranraer, and we’re proud of the part we’ve played through our work with the Scottish Government.

"Change on this scale, reaching even the most rural areas, is a testament to teamwork and determination. Let's celebrate our achievements as we keep reaching for better connectivity across Scotland."

UK Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “It’s fantastic to see that so many will benefit from the one million connections we've worked with the Scottish Government to fund and deliver. All these communities, who were previously stuck with snail's pace internet, now have the speeds available to stream, work and play.

“In addition to the rollout of Superfast connections, we now want to ensure Scottish communities have the connectivity they need for the decades to come. This is why we are planning further investment in contracts to bring much faster full fibre broadband to hard-to-reach premises right across Scotland - futureproofing rural communities by empowering homes and businesses to seize the benefits of digital technology."

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