The Scottish government has issued a new contract notice to start an evaluation study to determine the ‘Value for Money’ (VfM) of the country’s R100 (reaching 100% superfast broadband) project.
The R100 scheme aims to improve connectivity in some of Scotland’s most remote communities, many of which have been overlooked by previous public and private broadband investment initiatives. At the start of the project, R100 aimed to improve the connectivity of approximately 180,000 premises identified as having broadband speeds of less than 30Mbps.
The Scottish government has committed approximately GBP 600 million to the project, with an additional GBP 49.5 million from the UK government’s, Project Gigabit, and GBP 54.1 million in private investment from BT.
Progress toward this goal, however, has been reportedly slow. To date, the project has only provided fiber-to-the-premise technology to 42,000 premises, with an additional 114,000 premises expected by 2028.
As outlined in the notice, the study will assess the VfM of this program, focusing on comprehending the social, economic, environmental, and other advantages to households, businesses, and communities stemming from enhancements in broadband connectivity and speed.
The original 114,000 target, which was set for 2021, has been pushed back to 2028. Only 29% of the targeted premises have been reportedly reached thus far, with the figure dropping to 15% in the project’s Northern Scotland and Highlands region.
