Prepared for a digital future

Sir,

With record demand on our broadband and mobile networks – and periods of extreme Scottish weather to contend with – I’d like to thank all our front-line colleagues for keeping our customers and communities connected during a challenging year.

The pandemic has accelerated Scotland’s shift online. We’ve learned new terms like ‘Zoom calls’ and ‘vaccine passports’. With the average home predicted to have 50 connected devices by 2023, families need better and faster connections, no matter where they live.

To future-proof our networks, BT Group confirmed plans to invest around £15bn so that Openreach can extend their ultrafast, full-fibre broadband network to 25 million UK homes and businesses by 2026.

More than 438,000 Scottish premises can already order full-fibre, with thousands enjoying ultra-reliable, ultrafast speeds.

Our mobile network, EE, has already reached around 40 per cent of the UK’s population with 5G, with plans to offer the service in every corner of the UK by 2028. And on 4G, we’ll expand our network to 600 more rural Scottish communities by 2025.

This ultrafast connectivity is being expanded on a daily basis. We’re building like fury, and we know there’s more to do.

To make sure this digital future benefits as many people as possible, we published a ‘manifesto’ for the next decade, setting out how we’ll support responsible technology, become more inclusive and do more on climate action, including electrifying our vehicle fleet.

Despite these challenging times, we’re working hard to bring next-generation networks and digital services to millions more in the coming years.

Jane Wood, BT Group Scotland director,

Edinburgh