Tanya and her team dance with joy as Halkirk ends its reputation for having UK’s worst internet connections
Halkirk has ended its reputation for having the worst internet connection in the UK, claims a broadband provider after recent work carried out at the village.
Highland Broadband says that the Caithness village will reap rewards after moving from the “slowest to the fastest broadband in the country”. The company claims that connection speeds have been supercharged to become 3000 times faster on average after the installation of its fibre optic network.
A Highland Broadband spokesperson states: “The village’s population sits at 950 and [our] customers now experience speeds of up to 8000Mbps, allowing people from all walks of life the opportunity of seamless streaming and lightning-quick downloads.”
Tanya Horne, who runs a Highland dance school in the village, said reliable broadband will “open up the world” to her young students. Tanya, who teaches around 100 students from across Caithness each week, said: “The dancers could benefit from online practice programmes provided by a world champion Highland dancer 250 miles away and CrossFit with a trainer in the United States, to name just a couple.
“They’ll now be able to do that as a group, which will be so much more valuable as a learning experience. Likewise, I have lectured and given demonstrations for fellow professionals in North America and with good broadband, we can continue that sharing of expertise in Highland dancing around the world.
“Last year, we had a local fiddler and accordionist providing live music at a special workshop and one of our younger girls, aged six, came up to me afterwards and said how nice it was to dance to continuous music, without the buffering we used to get. This new connection will ensure we can have uninterrupted music at each lesson.”
The Ulbster Arms Hotel will use the ultra-fast connection as a major selling point to bring tourism and business to the area. “A lot of people forget that there’s a world north of Inverness,” said Jess Dreaves, general manager.
“By partnering with Highland Broadband and installing a faster connection, we are able to have the confidence to offer our guests the fastest broadband connection available in the country.
“We have 13 rooms within our hotel as well as five lodges, so having the best broadband connection that can deliver for dozens of users is essential. Now we have changed over to Highland Broadband, staff and guests are able to connect quickly and stay online.”
The Ross Institute’s committee has plans to diversify into provision for weddings and conferences, unlocking revenue streams to help meet the facility’s considerable running and maintenance costs.
“We only just got broadband in the hall last year, but with our new reliable connectivity, we see the potential for hosting conferences and weddings,” said Trish Bremner, treasurer of Halkirk Village Council, trustees of the Ross Institute. “It opens up more opportunities for us.“
Teenage gamer Mackenzie Taylor-Harwood added: “Usually when I download the latest game I have to wait a couple of days, but when I downloaded one recently it took just over 10 minutes.”
Halkirk had the dubious honour of the slowest broadband internet speed in the UK, at 2.8Mbps on average, according to 2023 research by industry watchdog Broadband Genie. Following the network rollout of a new 10Gbps capable fibre optic network by Highland Broadband, residents of Halkirk can now get a number of different speed packages up to 8Gbps symmetrical upload and download speeds.
Colin Woodward, managing director of Highland Broadband, said: “We are proud to be able to bring the UK’s fastest fibre broadband network to the village of Halkirk.
“We are delighted with the number of residents who have signed up for our service and look forward to rolling out our network further throughout the Highlands. Access to good, reliable digital infrastructure is so important for everyone in a community and we’re pleased to be delivering this across Scotland.”
Maree Todd, MSP Caithness, Sutherland and Ross said: “I’m thrilled to see the progress in Halkirk, a village that was once home to some of the slowest internet speeds in the UK.
“Thanks to the efforts of Highland Broadband and financial support from the Scottish National Investment Bank, the village will now benefit from some of the fastest internet speeds in the UK. Investing in rural broadband infrastructure goes far beyond convenience – it’s about ensuring rural communities have a level playing field, keeping them connected, competitive, and resilient in an increasingly digital world.
“The shift towards remote working since Covid has accelerated the need for fast and reliable internet. Improved connectivity supports remote working and makes rural areas more attractive places to live and work, which is vital for addressing depopulation.”
