High-speed broadband may only reach three in four Shetland homes

The rollout of high-speed broadband on Shetland may only reach 75 per cent of premises in the region. 

This is according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the company that is in charge of improving internet connections in the area.

On a two-day visit to the island, HIE chief executive Alex Paterson said the firm is committed to providing super-fast broadband to "at least" three-quarters of the region by the end of 2015. 

However, the remaining 25 per cent of residents will have to wait for their service to be improved, Shetland News reports.

"There are places across the region that are too far from the exchanges and the technologies don’t exist yet to get to these places," Mr Paterson stated. 

He pointed to the Community Broadband Scotland initiative and HIE's own innovation fund as potential ways in which these areas could access a better connection. 

Another possibility is satellite broadband, which can provide super-fast speeds and is available immediately.

Posted by Mark Wynn