Scottish ISP receives significant investment

Scottish internet service provider (ISP) Highland Broadband (also known as Lothian Broadband) recently received a substantial £10 million boost.

This has come from The Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB). The ISP is currently constructing a 10 gigabyte per second capable fibre to the premises (FTTP) network throughout rural areas of the Scottish Highlands.

CEO for Highland Broadband, Gavin Rodgers, commented that Scotland’s islands and the Highlands face unique challenges in terms of broadband connectivity. He stated that the ISP viewed overcoming them as critical to provide a basic service for business and residents all over Scotland.

Regarding the recent investment, he added:

“The bank’s continued support has enabled us to accelerate our plan to connect these regions, which ultimately helps reduce place-based inequality in areas such as education, employment and healthcare.”

Highland Broadband, which began building its network in 2022, originally aimed to supply users in more than 20,000 premises across the Highlands with gigabit-capable FTTP broadband early this year. Since it started, it has also completed network builds in areas like Tain, Alness, Evanton and Invergordon, among other locations.

This is the second round of funding SNIB has been involved in. The Scottish ISP previously received an investment of £50 million from various shareholders, with the largest contribution (£40 million) coming from SNIB.

The fresh injection of £10 million worth of investment will now help the ISP continue its epic endeavour. The latest roll out phase involves Highland Broadband’s network construction, extending across areas like Great Glen, the Cairngorms and the Black Isle.