Scotland 'making better superfast broadband progress than any other part of the UK'
The Scottish Government says a scheme to extend fibre broadband coverage is on track
More than 800,000 homes and businesses can now benefit from fibre broadband as a result of a £428 million programme, the Scottish Government has said.
The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) scheme is said to be on track to meet a target to extend coverage to 95% of premises by the end of this year.
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said Scotland had made faster progress on broadband coverage than any other part of the UK last year.
He said: "Fast internet connection is vital to the economic and social wellbeing of our rural communities, supporting businesses and improving lives of local people.
"However, these upgrades are not automatic. I would encourage more people to check whether they are eligible on the DSSB website and contact a service provider of their choice to start receiving faster broadband.
"I am not complacent - I am aware that those who do not have access are at a disadvantage and our job is not done until everyone is connected. We are now focusing on the next steps to achieve 100% coverage by 2021.''
Robert Thorburn, Openreach digital partnership director for Scotland, said: It's fantastic to be reaching smaller communities such as Gairloch, Drummore and Ballantrae and it means many people in these places can now order their fastest-ever broadband speeds from a wide range of providers.
"With around a third of homes and businesses having upgraded to fibre so far, there's plenty of scope for more Scots to benefit from these much faster speeds.''
DSSB is being led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in the north and the Scottish Government in the rest of Scotland, with additional funding from the UK Government, BT, councils and the European Regional Development Fund.
UK minister for digital Matt Hancock said: "We know just how important broadband is in the digital age, and we'll continue to support Digital Scotland delivering on the ground so that by 2020 everyone in Scotland, and the rest of the UK, will have access to a fast, reliable and affordable internet connection.''