Highland Broadband, a full fibre provider in the north of Scotland, has reportedly shelved plans to extend its network to several villages in Caithness. The John O'Groat Journal reported the change on 28 October, and ISPreview followed on 29 October.
Which places are affected
The villages named are Keiss, Reiss, John O'Groats, Dunnet, Canisbay, Mey, Latheron and Latheronwheel. Watten and Gillock are also affected: a Gillock resident told the Journal she had been told the company is "not coming".
People in these areas had been told Highland Broadband was "planning to build to your area and expect to start connecting your community by late 2026", and the company had opened pre-orders. According to ISPreview, in some areas people had already been assigned a broadband voucher for the build, which may now be unusable.
What Highland Broadband says
The company told ISPreview it delivers its broadband to more than 10,500 premises in Caithness, about two-thirds of households in the area. That includes Thurso and Wick, as well as Castletown, Halkirk, Lybster, Reay and Scrabster, among others.
It said roll-out plans "must always remain flexible" and can be affected by "demand, funding strategy and commercial viability". It didn't give a new date for the villages. Local MP Jamie Stone and Liberal Democrat colleagues have written to the Cabinet Secretary about Project Gigabit funding for the affected properties.
Is there another way to get faster broadband?
It isn't yet clear whether these villages could be added to one of Scotland's Project Gigabit contracts, which are held by GoFibre and Openreach. Until then, the options ISPreview lists are 4G or 5G mobile broadband, Starlink satellite broadband, or Openreach's slower fibre-to-the-cabinet service where it's available.
The Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme offers up to £5,000 towards a faster connection for homes and businesses on speeds below 30Mbps with no faster connection planned. It closes to new applications on 20 November 2026.
What to do
If you pre-ordered with Highland Broadband or were given a voucher, contact the company to ask where your order stands. Then check your postcode on our Highland council page to see what else reaches you, and read our guide on what to do if you can't get decent broadband. If your speed is below 30Mbps, look at the voucher scheme before 20 November. Our Scotland broadband guide has more on what's being built.