Homes and businesses in some of the most remote and hard to reach areas of Scotland can now get a discounted satellite broadband connection if they are currently unable to obtain an affordable broadband service of at least 2 Mbps.
The scheme forms part of the UK Government’s commitment to make sure every home and business in the UK can access speeds of at least 2 Mbps and an estimated 300,000 properties across the UK are able to make use of the offer.
The current rollout of superfast broadband is on track to deliver coverage to 95 per cent of the UK by 2017 and has already reached an extra 550,000homes and businesses in Scotland.However the UK Government was determined to help those with the slowest connections by providing an immediate boost to their available speeds ahead of any future improvements planned.
Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said:
“Around nine out of ten homes and businesses in the UK can now access superfast speeds. We are making great progress rolling out new infrastructure, but it’s a massive engineering project and won’t happen overnight. The satellite scheme offers immediate assistance to those homes and businesses in Scotlandwith the slowest speeds, all part of our plan to make the UK one of the most digitally connected places in the world.”
Those benefitting from the scheme are able to choose the features of the satellite broadband service they require, dependent on their broadband needs.
More information on the operation of the scheme in Scotland can be found on the Broadband Programme website at http://www.scotlandsuperfast.com/where-when/the-programme/national-satellite-broadband-scheme/.
