en.Wedoany.com Reported - UK network operator Openreach (part of BT Group) has extended its fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to seven new locations as part of the Project Gigabit rollout in the "rest of Scotland." The project, with a total investment of £157 million sourced from public subsidies, aims to upgrade approximately 65,000 hard-to-reach rural premises through full-fibre technology.

According to data from the government agency Building Digital UK (BDUK) as of June 2026, Openreach has contracted to cover 77,640 premises (under the Call Off 6 contract), with construction completed for 5,680 premises—including 2,000 added in the past month alone—indicating an accelerating pace of deployment. This is part of the UK government's £5 billion Project Gigabit, which aims to extend gigabit broadband (1Gbps+) network coverage to approximately 99% of premises nationwide by 2032. Currently, around 90% of UK premises have access to such networks, with Ofcom predicting this could reach 95% by January 2029.

The seven new locations where construction has commenced include Patna, Kilcreggan and Cove, Muirkirk, Kippen, Fintry, Strathblane, and Blanefield. Future work will also cover the Highlands, Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Outer Hebrides), Argyll and Bute, and parts of remote areas in central and southern Scotland.

This effort complements the Scottish Government's own R100 programme, which has invested £700 million in partnership with Openreach to cover an additional 113,000 remote rural premises (the vast majority via FTTP) by 2028, with approximately 100,000 already technically completed. Additionally, GoFibre holds gigabit broadband project contracts in different parts of Scotland. While responsibility for broadband affairs in Scotland rests with Westminster, this does not preclude local and devolved bodies from making independent investments.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach's Partnership Director for Scotland, stated that this is a major infrastructure upgrade, minimising local disruption from roadworks and new installations by maximising the use of existing duct and pole networks. In cases where new poles or underground ducts must be installed, these measures are the only way to ensure homes are included in the upgrade. Scottish Business Minister Tom Arthur expressed satisfaction that Project Gigabit is working in synergy with the R100 programme. UK Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd added that this upgrade creates real opportunities for households, farmers, and businesses.

Once the new services are live, users can order through multiple internet service providers including BT, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk, and Vodafone. Although some ISPs have begun offering free upgrades as older copper lines are phased out, Openreach typically cannot cover 100% of every target premises during initial construction.