Local authority · Scotland
Shetland Islands Broadband Coverage
Full-fibre reach, coverage gaps and how Shetland Islands compares across 361 UK local authorities, from Ofcom Connected Nations data.
- 20%
- Full-fibre coverage
- #360
- of 361 UK authorities
- −61pp
- vs 81% UK average
- 13,367
- premises covered
The verdict
Shetland Islands ranks #360 of 361 local authorities for full-fibre (20.0%) and #5 for the fixed/FWA availability gap (1.7%) - those two corpus maps diverge. It is among the harder-to-reach areas for full-fibre with 20% full-fibre coverage, 61pp below the 81% UK average (bottom 0.6%).
Data updated August 2026
How Shetland Islands's 4/100 score is built
Based on full-fibre and gigabit coverage, full-fibre take-up, the not-spot rate below the Universal Service Obligation, and superfast baseline coverage from Ofcom Connected Nations - not pricing, contended speeds in practice, or which providers actually serve an address.
Coverage desk
Extract OFCOM-CN-SHETLAND-ISLANDS · Shetland Islands 13,367 premises · Scotland
BOOK-RURAL · RANK-LOWER · FF-LOW
- BOOK-RURAL 13,367
- RANK-LOWER #360
- FF-LOW 20%
- GAP-SMALL 1.7%
- DELTA-LAG -61pp
- IN-NA-MID #31 in Scotland
- NEAR-ABOVE under HARLOW
- MIX-FTTP-LED FTTP-led
Nearest full-fibre peer: HARLOW (+ 21.9 pp full-fibre)
Instrument codes from this district’s Ofcom Connected Nations extract: premises book, corpus rank, full-fibre band, fixed/FWA gap, UK delta, in-nation rank, photo-finish peer, and gigabit mix, not a service-quality score.
Full-fibre neighbourhood
Nationwide coverage poles and nearest ABS full-fibre peers, not a reprint of the metrics table.
- #1 full-fibre · KINGSTON UPON HULL, 99.6%
- UK average 81%
- Shetland Islands 20%
- HARLOW 41.9%
- REDDITCH 49.6%
- NORTH NORFOLK 54.5%
- STEVENAGE 56.8%
Coverage by Technology - Shetland Islands
Where Shetland Islands Sits Nationally
Shetland Islands vs every UK local authority
Full-fibre coverage distribution across all 361 UK local authorities. Shetland Islands's 20% places it in the highlighted band.
20% Bottom 0.6% ranked #360 of 361 UK authorities
every UK local authority, bucketed by full-fibre coverage
Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1))
Full Coverage Data
| Metric | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Full-Fibre (FTTP) | 20% |
| Gigabit-Capable | 20% |
| Ultrafast Broadband (≥300 Mbit/s) | 20% |
| Ultrafast (≥100 Mbit/s) | 20% |
| Superfast (≥30 Mbit/s) | 87% |
| NGA (any next-generation access) | 94.1% |
| No decent fixed/FWA broadband | 1.7% |
| Full-Fibre Take-Up (all premises) | 10% |
| Full-Fibre Take-Up (covered premises) | 49% |
| Total Premises | 13,367 |
| National Rank (Full-Fibre) | #360 / 361 |
Related
Source: Open Government Licence v3.0.
Nationwide local authorities with similar full-fibre or gigabit coverage
Two Ofcom peer sets for Shetland Islands, both outside Scotland so the neighborhoods are not the same-nation Nearby block above.
Similar full-fibre
Nearest other-nation local authorities by full-fibre coverage (20% here; floor ≥10,000 premises).
Similar gigabit
Nearest other-nation local authorities by gigabit-capable coverage (20% here).
What 20% full-fibre means for Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands is 61pp behind the 81% UK average, worth checking your own address before assuming the gap applies to you.
- Check your own address, an authority average can hide big street-by-street differences in coverage. Check your postcode
- See how Shetland Islands ranks against every other UK local authority, not just the national average. Full UK rankings
- Learn what to do if full-fibre is not available at your address yet. How Ofcom Connected Nations works
Coverage figures are Ofcom Connected Nations availability data, not a guarantee of service at any single address; always check before switching.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is full-fibre coverage lower in Shetland Islands?
Ofcom records 20% full-fibre coverage across 13,367 premises (rank #360 of 361). Gigabit-capable coverage is 20%; 1.7% of premises lack decent fixed/FWA broadband on the Spring 2026 measure. Figures are availability, not take-up or service quality.
Which Ofcom speeds are already present in Shetland Islands?
Superfast (≥30 Mbit/s) reaches 87% of premises, ultrafast (≥300 Mbit/s) 20%, and NGA any-next-gen 94.1%. Full-fibre (FTTP) is 20%. Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1)).
Local authority figures are computed directly from Ofcom Connected Nations data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.