Gigabit boost for Dumfries & Galloway

21 Jan 2026 08:18 PM

Around 12,500 homes and businesses in Dumfries & Galloway are to benefit from gigabit-capable broadband.  

The £18 million investment, funded by the UK Government and co-managed by the Scottish Government, will see premises in Dumfries & Galloway added to the existing Project Gigabit contract being delivered by Openreach. This builds upon the 8,000 gigabit-capable connections already delivered in Dumfries & Galloway by the Scottish Government’s £600m+ R100 programme.    

The Project Gigabit contract – where build started in Autumn 2025 – will now deliver gigabit-capable broadband to over 77,000 premises in Scotland covering some of the hardest-to-reach communities in the Highlands, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Argyll and Bute, as well as parts of Central and Southern Scotland.  

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: 

"Fast, reliable broadband is essential for connecting communities and supporting economic growth across Scotland. This additional investment will ensure that more homes and businesses in Dumfries & Galloway can access the gigabit-capable connections they need to thrive in the digital age.” 

“Through our own R100 programme and the management of Project Gigabit in Scotland, we are further boosting connections across the region to ensure that even more communities will benefit from faster, reliable broadband for generations to come.” 

UK Government Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd said:   “Whether it’s a farmer managing their business, or people video-calling loved ones, fast and reliable broadband makes everyday life easier. This investment will bring those opportunities to thousands more across Dumfries & Galloway.” 

Openreach Partnership Director for Scotland Robert Thorburn said:  

“We’ve already started connecting some of Scotland’s most rural homes and businesses to Full Fibre through the Project Gigabit contracts, and we’re delighted to continue that progress in Dumfries & Galloway. 

"We're committed to making sure that people living and working across the country can access faster, more reliable broadband. With more than 1.7 million properties already able to benefit from Full Fibre, this latest investment will help even more communities thrive in the digital age.” 

Background 

Project Gigabit was launched by the UK Government to enable hard-to-reach communities to access fast, reliable gigabit-capable broadband. It targets homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ commercial plans, reaching parts of the UK that might otherwise miss out on upgrades to next-generation speeds. 

The programme is targeted at premises which fall out with the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) contracts and commercial activity. 

Three contracts have now been awarded as part of Project Gigabit in Scotland: 

• a £26 million contract to GoFibre covering around 13,000 premises in the Scottish Borders and East Lothian;  
• a £157 million contract awarded to Openreach which has now received additional investment of £18 million for build in Dumfries & Galloway and will now cover more than 77,000 premises in total, including the Highlands, Outer Hebrides and other hard-to-reach areas; 
• a £105 million contract to GoFibre covering around 63,000 premises in North East Scotland. 

Further Project Gigabit contracts will see gigabit-capable broadband delivered to tens of thousands more premises across Scotland.  

Over £600m is being invested in the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) programme, comprising £591m by the Scottish Government, £52m by the UK Government and £53m by BT. This is one of the most ambitious and complex digital infrastructure programmes in Europe which is rolling out connections in some of the country’s most challenging rural locations.      

Originally conceived as a superfast broadband programme, R100 is now providing gigabit-capable connections – a speed more than 30 times faster than superfast broadband – in around 99% of cases. Building to some of the hardest-to-reach parts of Scotland, a total of over 96,000 connections have enabled access to faster broadband as a result of R100, so far.     

Data for premises in Dumfries & Galloway added to this existing Project Gigabit contract being delivered by Openreach will be added to the Scottish Government’s Address Checker in the coming weeks.    

For more information on Scottish Government Broadband programmes, visit https://digitalconnectivity.campaign.gov.scot/browse/broadband 

For updates on Openreach's fibre build visit https://www.openreach.com/fibre-checker