1Introduction
1.Digital connectivity has transformed the way people work, learn and communicate, and is an essential part of modern life. In 2017, 90% of households in Great Britain had internet access compared to 57% in 2006, and 73% of adults accessed the internet using a mobile, more than double the 2011 rate of 36%.1 Digital connectivity is also a driver of economic growth—the availability and take-up of faster broadband speeds is predicted to add £17 billion to the UK’s economic output by 2024.2
2.Scotland has seen improved broadband and mobile coverage over the past few years. Ofcom’s latest data shows that the area covered by 4G mobile services from all operators in Scotland increased by 76% between June 2017 to January 2018. The latest Ofcom figures for January 2018 showed that superfast broadband coverage (24Mbps)3 was at 91% in Scotland, compared to 87% in May 2017.4 However, despite improvements in recent years, Scottish mobile and broadband coverage is still behind the rest of UK with Scotland’s large rural landmass posing significant challenges: in 2017, 94% of urban Scotland had access to superfast broadband, compared to 56% of rural areas.5
3.Both the UK and Scottish Governments are committed to improving digital connectivity in Scotland. Telecommunications policy is reserved to Westminster; however, the Scottish Government has been responsible for designing and implementing the rollout of UK Government programmes in Scotland. The Scottish Government has developed its own policies to deliver broadband coverage as well as contributing funding to the UK Government programmes in Scotland.
Our inquiry
4.During our “My Scottish Affairs” inquiry at the start of this Parliament, we asked members of the public to suggest topics for us to investigate.6 Digital connectivity was one of the areas that received the largest number of suggestions and we launched this inquiry in response to that feedback.7
5.We held six evidence sessions with 38 witnesses—including academics, coverage experts, community and business representative bodies, local authorities, broadband and mobile providers, and representatives from the UK and Scottish Governments. We had the highest level of written submissions for any of our inquiries in this Parliament, receiving over 120 contributions from people across Scotland—90 of which were from individuals and community groups. We are grateful to all those who have contributed. The graph below summarises the main issues raised in the individual submissions, several of which we consider in more detail in this Report.
Figure 1: Analysis of written evidence
In this Report we consider:
a)Broadband coverage issues and their impact on consumers in Chapter Two;
b)The relationship between the UK Government and Scottish Government in Chapter Three;
c)The options for delivering broadband to remote areas in Chapter Four;
d)The transition to full-fibre technology in Chapter Five;
e)Mobile phone coverage in Chapter Six, and
f)The challenges of delivering telecoms infrastructure for providers in Chapter Seven.
1 Office for Nation Statistics, Internet access - households and individuals: 2017, August 2017
2 SQW Group for DCMS, UK Broadband Impact Study: Impact Report, November 2013
3 Broadband speed is measured in Mbps - megabits per second. The higher the number of megabits you are able to download per second, the faster the connection. Download speed is the most common measurement: it is the speed with which you can receive data over the internet.
4 Ofcom, Connected Nations update – Spring 2018, April 2018
5 Ofcom, Connected Nations, 2017
6 Scottish Affairs Committee, My Scottish Affairs inquiry, 7 June 2018
Published: 23 July 2018