About broadband

Faster and more reliable broadband makes web browsing, working online, gaming and entertainment streaming much quicker and smoother. This means that:

• downloading films, music and other large files is much faster
• several people can use the connection at the same time without causing noticeable delays and slower speeds
• upload speeds are much higher, so it’s great for people who need to send large files from home or work

All Project Gigabit activity in Scotland and the majority of R100 contract build is delivering access to gigabit-capable connections. These are capable of delivering download speeds over 30 times faster than the original superfast commitment by the Scottish Government. Gigabit-capable connections provide an even better online experience, with more reliability and faster download and upload times in comparison to superfast.

Commercial operators

If a superfast connection is already available at your address following build by a commercial network operator, you will need to contact them directly to order your new service. Our online address checker will confirm if you have a superfast connection from a commercial operator.

Commercial operators cover, or plan to cover, around 94% of Scotland with superfast broadband services. The remaining coverage is the focus of the R100 programme, which includes R100 contract build and the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS).

There are many broadband providers across Scotland. Those who have notified the Scottish Government that network connections are already in place are listed below. You can also use Ofcom’s postcode checker to find out which commercial operators you can order a service from in your area.

• Axione
• Badenoch broadband
• Balquhidder Community Broadband
• Beauly Firth Broadband
• Broadway Broadband
• City Fibre
• Comms West (formally Locheilnet)
• Cromarty Firth Wireless Networks
• Gigaloch
• Glide
• GoFibre
• Highland Broadband
• Hyperoptic
• Islay Broadband
• Lothian Broadband
• Netomnia
• Nexfibre
• Openreach
• Perthshire Broadband
• Scotnet
• Scotnet Fibre
• Strathnairn
• Virgin Media

Alternative solutions

You might be able to get a faster connection with the Universal Service Obligation for broadband. The Universal Service Obligation was launched by Ofcom in 2020. It gives everyone in the UK a legal right to request a broadband connection of at least 10 Megabits per second. BT is the Universal Service Provider for Scotland. Further information about applying for a connection is available on their website.