Committee publication · Correspondence · 26 January 2026 · HC 1461
Correspondence from Openreach regarding note of roundtable discussion with MPs on digital and fixed link connectivity, dated 16 January 2026
Summary
Openreach writes to the Scottish Affairs Committee following a January 2026 roundtable on digital and fixed-link connectivity. The company reports £530 million invested in Scottish full fibre deployment, reaching 1.77 million properties (60% coverage, 41% uptake). It highlights delivery of 27,000 premises to hard-to-reach areas in 2025 and £157 million in new Project Gigabit funding for 65,000 additional premises, while identifying legislative and land-access barriers—particularly private pole ownership affecting two-thirds of Scottish broadband infrastructure—as obstacles to accelerating rural rollout.
Key findings
- Openreach has invested over £530 million in full fibre across Scotland, enabling 1.77 million properties to upgrade (60% coverage), with 41% take-up ahead of UK average.
- 35% of new fibre footprint is in rural areas, covering more than 50% of rural Scotland, including 130,000 hardest-to-reach premises in partnership with Scottish Government.
- Delivered 27,000 premises to hard-to-reach areas in 2025 alone, exceeding Scottish Government's Programme for Government commitment; awarded £157 million for Project Gigabit Phase 2 covering 65,000 premises.
- Independent analysis estimates Scotland's full fibre rollout could generate £4.38 billion economic boost by 2029, attract 27,000 new residents, and support 17,800 additional home-based workers.
- Two-thirds of Scottish broadband poles sit on private land (versus 11% UK-wide), creating significant legislative and policy barriers that increase costs and extend delivery timescales.
Tone
SupportiveTopics
Key actors
Openreach, Scottish Affairs Committee, Scottish Government, UK Government, Centre for Economics and Business Research, Gareth Lonie
Notable line
“… two ‑ thirds of broadband poles in Scotland sit on private land, compared with around 11% across the UK, significantly affecting the pace and cost of rural build.”
Key Quotes
“Openreach has now invested more than £530 million in delivering full fibre across Scotland, enabling 1.77 million properties to upgrade that's more than 60%, with take ‑ up at 41%, ahead of the UK average.”
“Last year alone we delivered 27,000 to some of the hardest to reach premises which was well ahead of the Scottish Government's Programme for Government commitment.”
“… two ‑ thirds of broadband poles in Scotland sit on private land, compared with around 11% across the UK, significantly affecting the pace and cost of rural build.”
“Connecting Scotland's hardest ‑ to ‑ reach areas remains a top priority for Openreach.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗