Farming and rural businesses in remote areas of Scotland are set to access some of the UK's fastest and most reliable broadband connections.
The Reaching 100% programme (R100) will see building of full fibre connections begin this month around Oban, Argyll and Bute, and Portlethen and Newtonhill, Aberdeenshire.
It will deliver broadband capable of one gigabit per second download speeds, more than 30 times faster than the original commitment to deliver 30 megabits per second.
More than 220km of subsea cables will ensure 15 more islands across Argyll and Bute, Highlands, Shetland and Orkney are connected to fast and reliable broadband.
Poor connectivity is still a significant issue for farmers, many of who still do not have fast and reliable broadband in order to run a modern-day farming business.
The NFU recently responded to a government consultation on access to broadband in rural areas, saying that good internet connections were 'so important' for a range of farm tasks, from banking to managing suppliers and logistics.
The R100 programme has so far enabled more than 3,400 more premises to access superfast broadband.
The Scottish government has announced that it will invest £384 million into the programme.
Economy Secretary Kate Forbes said accessing fast and reliable broadband had never been so important for businesses.
“The programme is going significantly beyond our original commitment to provide superfast broadband and will now deliver the UK’s fastest and most reliable broadband for many businesses and homes.”
Chair of Scotland’s Openreach Board Katie Milligan added that the arrival of ultrafast broadband would be a 'game-changer' for farming and rural businesses.
"They will see a huge difference for life and work generally, but future-proof connectivity will also boost fragile rural economies and address sustainability issues like depopulation," she said.
