Scottish telecoms company GoFibre has won a £105 million deal to expand gigabit-capable broadband across rural communities in Scotland, a major step in closing the digital divide between urban and remote areas.
Aound 63,000 more premises in the North East of Scotland will be able to access gigabit-capable broadband.
The landmark contract, jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments, will see GoFibre deliver high-speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks to some of the most underserved areas, including Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Angus, Dundee, Moray, Highland, and parts of Perth and Kinross. The rollout will provide lightning-fast internet to approximately 63,000 homes and businesses previously challenged by sluggish connectivity.
Neil Conaghan, CEO of GoFibre, expressed pride and enthusiasm for the project’s impact:
“As a Scottish company, born in the Borders, GoFibre is proud to be named as the delivery partner for the first Project Gigabit contract in Scotland, bringing transformative full fibre connectivity to thousands more homes and businesses across the region. This contract award marks a step-change in our ambition and footprint as a major Scottish telecommunications company. We have a sterling track record of connecting communities across Scotland to our ultra-fast broadband network.
Delivering this project will build on our successful delivery of Project Gigabit contracts in North Northumberland and Teesdale, where we are delivering much-needed broadband in rural areas, ahead of schedule. We will bring all that expertise and GoFibre experience to this essential project for people in the Borders and East Lothian.”
UK Government Minister for Telecoms and Data, Chris Bryant, welcomed the investment, saying:
“Our investment in North East Scotland will overhaul broadband networks in hard-to-reach areas with slower internet speeds, putting an end to annoying buffering, and creating exciting new opportunities for local businesses and communities… Now the contract is signed, work can begin to deliver internet upgrades that many towns and villages sorely need. It shows how the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change is delivering for people across Scotland, helping to drive economic growth and tear down the UK’s digital divide.”
Impact for Rural Scotland
The upgrades will focus on areas unlikely to be reached by commercial broadband investments due to their remote locations, ensuring that rural residents and businesses can access the same digital opportunities as those in more urban environments. Project Gigabit is designed to provide homes and enterprises with faster speeds, fewer outages, and the capacity to power multiple devices simultaneously – even at peak times.
Business Minister Richard Lochhead said:
“Fast, reliable broadband is a fundamental building block for Scotland’s economy – and for our society. It’s why we are committed to ensuring connections across the country meet the needs of people and businesses, delivering faster connections to more than a million premises over the last decade.
“Project Gigabit will build on and complement the transformational work already being delivered through the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% programme and I look forward to working with the UK Government, as broadband remains a reserved matter, to ensure we deliver more gigabit-capable connections to rural communities.”
The project’s detailed planning and surveying will begin immediately, with connections for the first homes and businesses expected by Autumn 2025.
