Question reference: S6W-24708
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 25 January 2024
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Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 February 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-02720 by Humza Yousaf on 18 January 2024, which states that “all homes and businesses in Scotland can currently access a superfast broadband service”, whether it will provide the evidentiary basis for this statement.
Answer
As outlined in response to question S6W-24754 on 6 February 2024, Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report from December 2023 report states that “Starlink [an LEO satellite service] currently delivers nationwide broadband coverage, including in harder-to-reach areas” and that “Ofcom home broadband performance measurements suggest measured speeds on its [Starlink] network average around 100 Mbit/s download and 14 Mbit/s upload.”
The R100 contracts will continue to deliver gigabit-capable connections across Scotland and are expected to conclude in 2028. The R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme also remains available to those beyond the reach of commercial and R100 contract build, offering up to £5,000 with which to secure, as a minimum, a superfast broadband connection.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .