Latest Scottish broadband and mobile coverage revealed

• Number of homes with access to superfast broadband increased by 89,000 since last year
• Full-fibre broadband now available to around 200,000 homes in Scotland
• Some rural areas still behind towns and cities for broadband and mobile coverage

More people can get faster broadband and a good mobile signal than last year, but some rural areas are still behind towns and cities for coverage – new data from Ofcom shows.

Ofcom’s annual Connected Nations report analyses the availability of broadband and mobile services in Scotland and across the UK nations. This year’s report highlights further progress from industry in rolling out their networks withavailability of full-fibre more than doubling in Scotland

But the report also reveals more work is needed to improve services in rural areas, where some customers experience slower speeds than those in towns and cities.

More homes could upgrade to faster broadband

Superfast broadband

The vast majority of homes in Scotland (92%) can now access superfast broadband (delivering speeds of at least 30Mbit/s). This has increased by over 89,000 since last year. [1]

However, in areas where superfast broadband is available, just under half (48%) of those properties use superfast or ultrafast (at least 300 Mbit/s) services. So millions more could get faster internet by upgrading today, without paying more. [2]

Ofcom’s Boost your Broadband website allows people to easily check which broadband services are available in their area and get advice on how to find the best deal for them.

Faster fibre networks on the rise

Full-fibre broadband

Over 200,000 homes and businesses in Scotland (8%) can now get full fibre broadband which offers download speeds, of up to one gigabit per second (1 Gbit/s).  This has increased sharply from 3% in 2018, with 150,000 more premises now able to access the latest broadband technology. However, this is still below the UK average of 10%. Ofcom will shortly publish new plans to promote further investment in fibre networks – including in rural areas.

Access to decent broadband

While superfast coverage continues to improve, there remain premises that do not have access to decent broadband. Including improvements from BT/EE’s FWA, around 30,000 homes and businesses in Scotland are unable to get a broadband service that delivers a download speed of at least 10 Mbit/s and an upload speed of at least 1 Mbit. This has fallen significantly from last year due to the increased availability of wireless broadband services.

Mobile coverage improves, but more to do

In today’s smartphone society, being able to make calls and get online on the move is crucial to people’s personal and working lives.

While most of Scotland (80%) can get coverage from at least one mobile company, there are stark differences in the level of choice available to customers in urban and rural areas, with only 42% of Scotland’s land area covered by good 4G reception from all mobile companies.

Around 20% of Scotland does not have good 4G coverage from any mobile company. The areas with limited mobile coverage in Scotland tend to be sparsely populated rural areas where the commercial incentives to provide coverage are lower.

In urban areas, indoor 4G coverage is available from all operators in 87% of premises while in rural areas services are available from all operators in only 49% of premises.

However, rural mobile coverage is set to increase as a result of an industry project announced in October. Mobile operators have worked with the UK Government and Ofcom on a plan to introduce a ‘shared rural network’. The UK Government has indicated that this will see high-quality 4G coverage reach 85% of Scotland by 2026, as mobile companies share their existing masts and invest in new sites. We have provided technical advice on the plans. In addition, the Scottish Government’s 4G infill programme (SG4i) is also seeking to address mobile not spots across 49 sites in Scotland.

5G – the fifth generation of mobile technology – also launched in the UK this year, with all four mobile networks rolling out 5G across a total of 40 UK towns and cities, including Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Glenn Preston, Ofcom’s Scotland Director, said: “This year we’ve seen full-fibre broadband grow at its fastest ever rate and some further improvement in mobile coverage in Scotland.

“But despite this good progress, there is more to do to bring all parts of the country up to speed – particularly in Scotland’s rural areas. So we’re working with industry and the UK and Scottish Governments to help bring better services to people who need them.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Although we have observed an increase in superfast coverage, this figure is the same as the one quoted last year due to changes in the way that we identify premises, discussed further in our methodology annex.
2. Superfast broadband packages can start from around £20 per month.
3. Ofcom will continue to analyse the coverage and performance of wireless broadband providers to ensure their services are delivering the connections people they need.
4. The right to request a decent connection is under the Universal Service Obligation, which Ofcom is implementing on behalf of the Government. BT will manage requests for connections across the whole of the UK, except for the Hull area, where KCOM will be responsible for delivering decent broadband. Eligibility criteria applies.
5. Basic mobile coverage supports calls and texts.
6. Next year, Ofcom plans to release more 5G-ready airwaves through an auction, which will help improve the capacity of mobile networks.
7. The agreement is subject to final sign-off from the Government.
8. Data included in Connected Nations is from September 2019.
9. An interactive version of the Connected Nations report is also available, offering data at nation, local authority and parliamentary constituency level.