Digital Infrastructure Project

Digital Connectivity

The Digital Infrastructure Project is funded by UK Shared Prosperity Fund investment priority Communities and Place

The project aims to reduce digital poverty and exclusion whilst increasing business productivity. The main objectives being to raise of awareness of financial support to improve connectivity; build community capacity to provide digital support services and leverage external funding. Activity will be targeted across two strands:

• Infrastructure research and analysis, training and support for communities to access funding and resources
• Support for community owned/managed assets to act as digital hubs

We are working with the Scottish Government to help deliver the Reaching 100% (R100) programme, which ensures that every home and business in Scotland can access a minimum of superfast broadband (speeds 30Mbps). If you want to check your current internet speeds you can use an internet speed checker such as the broadband speed test provided by Which?.

We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions, please check this first to see if any queries have already been answered. If you need any further assistance you can contact the Community Support Unit by:

emailing csu@moray.gov.uk
calling us on 01343 563579

On this page you can find out more information about digital connectivity, including broadband and mobile coverage, ongoing projects within the Moray area, and how we can assist your home or business. This includes information on:

Universal Service Obligation

In 2020 the UK Government announced a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for households and businesses that have a download connection speed of lower than 10 megabits per second (Mbps). If this applies to your property BT must deliver a solution up to a total cost of £3,400. Possible solutions include a traditional fixed link, or 4G mobile connectivity.

If the cost of providing a faster connection exceeds £3,400 the household or business may have to meet the excess. However, there are other options that may be able to help you cover part of the additional costs.

Find out more about your right to request a decent broadband service.

Reaching 100% (R100) broadband programme

The R100 contract build will see gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure deployed across Moray, reaching almost 5,000 properties by 2028. This will give residents access to speeds of up to 1,000Mbps. You can check if your postcode is included within the R100 plan, or you can contact CSU@moray.gov.uk to find out more.

R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS)

There will be a number of sub-30Mbps homes and businesses that are not in build plans for the R100 contracts or commercial build. For these premises, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme offers a voucher of up to £5,000 to help access superfast broadband. You can check if your property is eligible for a voucher on the R100 website.

The vouchers cover all direct installation costs, carried out by a SBVS registered supplier. The voucher scheme is technology neutral. That means that if the solution you receive can deliver superfast speeds, it’s considered eligible for the scheme.

Scotland has some of the most challenging geography in Europe. As a result, the solutions offered by registered suppliers vary from company to company and is often determined by your location. This could be Mobile Broadband, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Satellite Broadband or Full-Fibre broadband.

Vouchers from the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme can be combined with those of neighbouring properties, to allow for higher value subsidy, often delivering a Community Solution. To explore this further, the Digital Project Officer in our Community Support Unit will be able to provide advice and support on these opportunities available.

UK Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme

This voucher scheme can be used in conjunction with the SBVS vouchers. Up to £4500 may be available to groups of householders and/or businesses in rural area to support the cost of installing new gigabit capable connections, when existing broadband speeds are less than 100Mbps. The Gigabit Voucher website contains more information on eligibility.

The Community Fibre Partnerships

If an upgrade isn't planned then Openreach can work with the community to build a customised solution to bring fibre broadband to the community. They will provide some of the costs, with the community providing the rest. This scheme can also be used to upgrade to faster speeds in a community that already has fibre broadband. We are here to support and signpost communities to available grants and assistance, which can include the Scottish Government’s R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme. Please contact us for more information.

The Openreach website has more information on how to register your interest in ultrafast fibre broadband.

Mobile coverage

Due to Moray’s geography some areas don't get reliable access to 4G mobile reception. We are working with the Scottish and UK governments to resolve this in several ways. Through the Scotland 4G Infill programme a 4G mast has been constructed at Chapelton.

We can also work with Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish Futures Trust and the Shared Rural Network, and the 'Big 4' UK mobile networks (EE, VMO2, Three and Vodafone), to push for further coverage of gaps in Moray. You can check mobile operator coverage in your area on the Ofcom website.

Reaching 100% (R100)

Find out if you qualify

To find out if your home or business qualifies for R100 contract build or the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, follow the steps below:

• Step 1: Visit the Scotland Superfast website
• Step 2: Enter your postcode and select your premise
• Step 3: You will be able to see the type of broadband available to your premise. If you are eligible, you will see links to further information on the options available.
• Step 4: If you decide to progress, register with one of the suppliers in your area and they will liasie with you before applying to the scheme on your behalf.

Talk to your neighbouring businesses or homeowners by working together in agreement to use the same registered supplier, vouchers can be aggregated providing a better outcome to many.

Find a provider

Openreach is the delivery partner for the R100 contracts. There are several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who are registered with R100 to provide services via the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme. See ISPs that cover the Moray area.

Types of broadband connections

Full fibre

A vast majority of properties in Scotland, both urban and rural, have what is known as ‘partial fibre’ broadband. This means there’s fibre from the exchange to the cabinet in the street and then copper between the cabinet and nearby properties. But many rural properties have ‘exchange only’ lines, meaning copper runs all the way from the exchange to the property.

Full fibre is when the connection from the exchange to the inside of your property is a fibre optic cable. This enables you to receive any speed of broadband up to 1,000Mbps (1 Gigabit per second). And full fibre is future-proofed for even faster speeds.

In Moray, according to Ofcom’s latest report (September 2023), 48% of properties have access to full fibre broadband, with 86% being able to access superfast broadband

Fixed wireless

Fixed wireless broadband is an outdoor wireless network, just like WiFi in your home but over greater distances, from a few hundred metres to many kilometres.

Fixed wireless broadband can deliver a one-to-one connection between two buildings or structures (for example, from a farmhouse to a farm office) or a one-to-many network connecting dozens of homes from a single transmitter.

Common speeds for fixed wireless networks range between 30Mbps and 100Mbps. However, they are capable of much faster speeds over considerable distances, and Gigabit speeds over short distances of around 300 metres as a one-to-many net.

Fixed Mobile

Fixed mobile is a method of getting internet access using one of the UK’s four mobile networks (EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three) or from the many virtual mobile operators (listed here) that use one of the four main networks. Instead of using your mobile phone as a temporary ‘hot spot’ for connecting laptops or TVs, you install a special WiFi router with a mobile SIM card in it, and an external aerial in a suitable location outdoors.

Satellite

Satellite broadband or satellite internet access uses a dish on your home to connect to communications satellites in space, just like a dish for Freesat or Sky television.

Until recently, satellite broadband offerings have been slow and limited. Something called ‘latency’ makes everyday internet activities like video calls and online gaming problematic. This is due to the delays in sending your information up to space and back again.

Recent advances in satellite technology make it capable of faster internet connections.Non-geostationary orbiting (NGSO) satellite systems are a new way of delivering broadband services from space using a constellation of satellites in a low or medium orbit. These satellite services have the potential to deliver higher speeds and lower latency services. Starlink Internet Services have been granted licences to operate in UK.

Broadband standards

All registered suppliers on the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme must agree to the following standard terms:

The connection delivered to your address will provide superfast broadband speeds of at least 30Mbps

The service must be affordable, costing you no more than £56.20 per month – this is the same monthly cost as services delivered through the UK Government’s Universal Service Obligation (USO)
There is no prohibitive data cap
If the current speed is between 15Mbps and 30Mbps, then the current speed should double