Another 6,200 properties in the Highlands and more than 3,600 in Orkney can now get faster broadband through the Scottish Government's Reaching 100% (R100) programme, according to Openreach and the Scottish Government.
R100 is the Scottish Government's £600 million programme to bring superfast or better broadband to every home and business, including the hardest to reach. Openreach is doing the main build, and the programme has now reached more than 100,000 properties across Scotland. The upgrades described in this latest round are full fibre, which the announcements say can deliver gigabit-capable speeds.
Which places are included
In the Highlands, the 6,200 properties are in and around:
- Inverness, Nairn, Alness and Wick
- Kingussie, Kincraig, Dalwhinnie, Nethy Bridge and Advie in Badenoch and Strathspey
- Fort Augustus, Glenmoriston, Dalchreichart and Invergarry
- Muir of Ord, Munlochy, Strathpeffer and Helmsdale
- Mallaig, Arisaig, Lochailort, Strontian, Salen and Ardvasar
In Orkney, the more than 3,600 properties are in the Harray, Hoy and Longhope areas, and in Flotta, South Ronaldsay and Stronsay. Openreach says more than 5,000 premises across the Orkney Islands now have access to its full fibre.
These are hard-to-reach homes in each area, not whole towns. If you live in Inverness or Nairn, for example, the upgrade may not cover your street.
What they said
Business Minister Tom Arthur said: "The latest connections in the Highlands demonstrate the real impact of this investment, improving connectivity in some of Scotland's hardest to reach areas."
Robert Thorburn, Openreach's partnership director for Scotland, said: "We're excited to see more people moving to full fibre services, and we encourage local businesses and residents to check online to see if they can get a faster, more reliable service."
What to do
Neither announcement says the new service starts on its own. Check your address on Openreach's R100 page. If full fibre is there, you can order it from a provider that uses the Openreach network, such as BT, Sky, Vodafone or Zen. Before you switch, check when your current contract ends.
Our postcode checker shows coverage from Ofcom's January 2026 data, so it won't show these latest upgrades yet. For the bigger picture, read our guide to broadband in Scotland in 2026. Our guides to full fibre and switching broadband can help too. If your home still isn't covered, see what to do if you can't get decent broadband.