Scotland Broadband Coverage
Data across 32 local authorities · 2,934,448 premises
Data updated August 2026
Nation-level 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. Data current as of January 2026.
Scotland full-fibre coverage is 74.0% , below the UK national average of 81% . The nation ranks below average among the four UK nations.
The verdict
Scotland ranks #1 of 4 UK nations for the fixed/FWA availability gap (0.3%) but #4 for full-fibre (74.0%) - the gap leader here is not the full-fibre leader. Full-fibre reaches 74.0% of premises nationally - 7pp below the 81% UK average.
Scotland authorities by full-fibre band
Exclusive coarse bands across the 32 local authorities inside Scotland. Orthogonal to the top-10 ChartBar and the in-nation 10pt distribution below.
Broadband Coverage in Scotland
Scotland covers 32 local authority areas with a combined 2,934,448 premises, of which 74.0% can access a full-fibre (FTTP) connection and 82.1% have access to gigabit-capable broadband. The gap between full-fibre and gigabit figures reflects additional premises served by upgraded cable (DOCSIS 3.1) networks, principally in urban areas where Virgin Media O2's HFC infrastructure has been upgraded to support gigabit speeds without laying new fibre-to-the-premises.
Within Scotland, coverage varies considerably at local authority level. ABERDEEN CITY leads with 93.1% full-fibre coverage, while NA H-EILEANAN SIAR has the lowest proportion at 12.0% - a gap of 81.1 percentage points. No local authority in this nation reports more than 5% of premises in the Ofcom fixed/FWA availability gap column.
Superfast broadband (≥30 Mbit/s) reaches 96.7% of premises, while ultrafast (≥300 Mbit/s) is available to 82.3%. Full-fibre take-up, the proportion of premises that have subscribed to an FTTP service where one is available, stands at 35.3%, reflecting both consumer demand and the competitive broadband market. All figures are from Ofcom's Connected Nations Spring 2026 report, published in January 2026 and published in May 2026 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Top 10 Local Authorities by Full-fibre Coverage
Distribution of Scotland Authorities
Where Scotland's authorities cluster
Each bar is the number of Scotland local authorities in that full-fibre band. The highlighted bar holds the national average (74.0%).
74.0% #4 of 4 Scotland average vs the other UK nations
32 Scotland local authorities, bucketed by full-fibre coverage
Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1))
Where Scotland sits by local-authority inventory
Scotland covers 32 Ofcom local authorities among 4 UK nations (inventory signal, not a quality ranking). Orthogonal to the in-nation full-fibre histogram above.
Scotland vs all UK nations by local-authority count
Where this nation's disclosed Ofcom LA inventory sits among England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
32 2nd of 4 higher than 2 of 4 nations
Nations, banded by Ofcom local-authority count
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more nations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 · 2026-08-17
Local Authorities in Scotland
32 areas · sorted by full-fibre| Local Authority | Full-fibre | Gigabit | Superfast | No decent fixed/FWA | Premises |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABERDEEN CITY | 93.1% | 93.1% | 98.5% | 0.0% | 132,364 |
| MIDLOTHIAN | 92.5% | 92.5% | 98.9% | 0.1% | 47,006 |
| RENFREWSHIRE | 92.4% | 96.7% | 99.3% | 0.0% | 98,798 |
| GLASGOW CITY | 92.0% | 94.9% | 98.7% | 0.0% | 346,722 |
| EAST RENFREWSHIRE | 88.8% | 95.3% | 98.9% | 0.0% | 42,896 |
| EAST LOTHIAN | 87.8% | 87.8% | 96.5% | 0.2% | 57,359 |
| CLACKMANNANSHIRE | 86.2% | 86.2% | 99.1% | 0.1% | 26,782 |
| DUNDEE CITY | 85.8% | 94.2% | 98.9% | 0.0% | 81,909 |
| CITY OF EDINBURGH | 84.2% | 92.7% | 98.2% | 0.0% | 290,522 |
| WEST LOTHIAN | 80.4% | 92.3% | 98.7% | 0.1% | 91,512 |
| NORTH AYRSHIRE | 80.2% | 83.7% | 98.1% | 0.0% | 74,751 |
| STIRLING | 77.2% | 77.2% | 96.3% | 0.5% | 47,991 |
| EAST AYRSHIRE | 76.2% | 78.8% | 98.7% | 0.1% | 63,107 |
| EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE | 76.1% | 92.1% | 98.2% | 0.0% | 51,129 |
| SCOTTISH BORDERS | 75.7% | 75.7% | 97.8% | 0.4% | 66,240 |
| NORTH LANARKSHIRE | 72.6% | 93.4% | 98.9% | 0.0% | 169,925 |
| FIFE | 71.7% | 83.1% | 98.6% | 0.1% | 197,211 |
| SOUTH AYRSHIRE | 71.3% | 81.4% | 98.7% | 0.1% | 60,868 |
| FALKIRK | 71.0% | 94.3% | 98.9% | 0.0% | 77,807 |
| SOUTH LANARKSHIRE | 68.8% | 89.3% | 98.9% | 0.0% | 168,033 |
| DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY | 66.9% | 66.9% | 97.3% | 0.2% | 83,562 |
| MORAY | 64.1% | 64.1% | 93.1% | 0.9% | 51,564 |
| HIGHLAND | 63.3% | 63.3% | 85.9% | 1.5% | 137,076 |
| ANGUS | 58.9% | 67.3% | 90.6% | 1.0% | 62,607 |
| INVERCLYDE | 58.3% | 85.6% | 98.4% | 0.0% | 42,546 |
| WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE | 54.9% | 91.8% | 99.2% | 0.0% | 48,494 |
| ABERDEENSHIRE | 48.5% | 48.5% | 91.0% | 1.3% | 131,027 |
| PERTH AND KINROSS | 36.6% | 55.1% | 92.9% | 0.7% | 82,087 |
| ORKNEY ISLANDS | 30.0% | 30.0% | 86.7% | 2.0% | 13,362 |
| ARGYLL AND BUTE | 23.9% | 23.9% | 87.9% | 2.1% | 58,013 |
| SHETLAND ISLANDS | 20.0% | 20.0% | 87.0% | 1.7% | 13,367 |
| NA H-EILEANAN SIAR | 12.0% | 12.0% | 80.1% | 2.8% | 17,811 |
Related
Source: Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026 (January 2026 snapshot, published May 2026 (r1)).
Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026, January 2026 release (r1). Published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures represent premises-level coverage, not actual subscriptions or speeds experienced by customers.
74.0% full-fibre across Scotland
Scotland is 7pp behind the 81% UK average, worth checking your own local authority before assuming the gap applies everywhere.
- Check what is actually available at your own address, a national average hides big local authority and street-level differences. Check your postcode
- See how each of Scotland's 32 local authorities ranks individually, not just the national figure. Full UK rankings
- Learn what full-fibre, gigabit and FWA actually mean before you compare providers. What is full-fibre broadband?
Coverage figures are Ofcom Connected Nations availability data, not a guarantee of service at any single address; always check before switching.