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After a long delay it appears as if the Scottish Government may finally get around to awarding a new gigabit broadband roll-out contract for Orkney & Shetland by the end of 2026. The procurement, which forms part of the UK’s £5bn Project Gigabit scheme, aspires to expand full fibre (FTTP) networks to 13,550 premises in hard-to-reach parts of the remote Northern Isles.
The SG first put out a contract notice for all this back in December 2024, which at the time estimated that the contract could be awarded to a supplier in October 2025 (estimate) and would then remain in force for approximately 11 years – comprising a build period of approximately 4 years, followed by an operational period of at least 7 years (i.e. the build phase would be completed by the end of 2030).
However, it’s not uncommon for complex procurements to face delays, particularly those expected to come at a high cost due to the remote and challenging nature of the Northern Isles. Some £40.7m of public investment has been allocated to the deployment, which works out at about £3,000 per premises. But the final coverage and funding figures will depend upon negotiation and what the chosen supplier deems to be viable within the budget.