For the past few years, Openreach and GoFibre have been on a mission to bring fast, affordable internet access to some of the country’s most digitally isolated communities. A lot of those communities are found in the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides, and in 2025, work started to bring them online. 

What is Project Gigabit? 

Project Gigabit is the UK government’s expansive plan to upgrade rural internet speeds. Companies like Openreach and Scotland’s own GoFibre have been contracted to deliver the upgrades, with work starting in 2021 and aiming to cover every target region by 2030. In 2025 and 2026, most of that work is taking place in the Scottish Highlands. 

Project Gigabit is ultimately an investment to unlock economic growth by setting a 1-gigabit standard for the British internet. It should improve public and business services, while also making online work and play easier for citizens in the upgraded regions. Many modern entertainment options rely on the internet, with more internet intensive options like streaming a widespread use of the internet that has replaced how people watch TV shows in many households. Interactive games, such as online games or iGaming and casino platforms that host live game rooms and other casino games, are also household entertainment options popularly used through the UK internet. Project Gigabit aims to provide consumer benefits while also supercharging the UK’s digital economy. 

The Highlands & Outer Hebrides Contract 

Earlier this year, the UK government signed off on its single largest Project Gigabit contract, worth £157 million. It targets the Highlands, Outer Hebrides and approximately 100 other islands along Scotland’s west coast. It’s estimated there are 65,000 properties – homes and businesses – that will benefit from the broadband upgrade. 

Scotland is home to some of the most digitally and infrastructurally isolated communities in the whole of the UK. Under these plans, places like the Isle of Skye, the remote Applecross peninsula and the remotest northwestern village of Durness will start receiving gigabit broadband upgrades. 

These upgrades are being handled by Openreach while GoFibre finishes up its work in the North of England. Speaking about the expansions, Openreach Deputy CEO Katie Milligan said: “Our new network’s a catalyst for growth and jobs, with experts predicting it’ll bring a £4.4 billion boost to the Scottish economy and a raft of social and environmental benefits.” 

Future Plans for the Scottish Internet 

She later added that, assuming the contracts keep coming, Openreach aims to have upgraded over 30 million UK premises by 2030. This current Scottish expansion is part of a larger £800 million contract bundle sold in 2024. 

The effort to upgrade Scottish internet infrastructure will benefit from the Scottish government’s own schemes, namely Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) and later R100. These plans aimed to cover 95% of Scotland in at least 30 Mbps connection speeds, goals that will be exceeded if Project Gigabit finishes its rollout. 

Work on the Highland and Outer Hebrides contract will spread into 2026, with more work set to commence in the Scottish northeast and East Lothian. GoFibre will cover both of these contracts with their site already displaying key target areas like Aberdeenshire, Angus and the Scottish Borders. Next year will also bring new contracts that haven’t been awarded yet but given Project Gigabit’s close relationship with Openreach and GoFibre, it’s likely they’ll snap up future opportunities to upgrade Scotland’s internet. Those future contracts will target Orkney, Shetland and other eastern regions that haven’t been covered yet.