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Wickers have their eyes on the skies as Highland Broadband highlights internet connectivity





Wickers had their eyes on the skies last week as a light aircraft flew over the town’s rooftops displaying an advertising banner from Highland Broadband.

The 7000 residents of Wick are part the latest community to benefit from Scotland’s fastest broadband, and to celebrate, a plane flew over the town to declare, “Scotland’s fastest broadband is here!”

Following the network rollout of a new 10Gbps Gbps-capable fibre optic network by Highland Broadband, Wick residents can now get a number of different speed packages up to 8Gbps symmetrical upload and download speeds.

The message reads, 'Scotland's Fastest Broadband Is Here!' Picture: Peter Jolly
The message reads, 'Scotland's Fastest Broadband Is Here!' Picture: Peter Jolly

Thirty-eight-year-old Dominic Rigby, who lives in a three-storey house in the town’s harbour area, previously had such a poor broadband connection that he had to negotiate with his two daughters to determine who could watch TV or connect a device to the internet.

“Our internet here had been shocking for years. If the girls were watching Netflix or Disney+, I would have to throw them off to connect to a work meeting,” said Dominic, who has served as a paramedic for 12 years.

“You’d never get through half an hour of a television programme without it buffering, and you used to get a better signal on your mobile phone than from your WiFi. Our last connection was meant to be 44Mbps, and we were lucky to get half that; now we’re signed up to 900Mbps, but we can get 1068Mbps.

An aeroplane carries a message to mark Highland Broadband bringing Scotland's fastest broadband to Wick. Picture: Peter Jolly
An aeroplane carries a message to mark Highland Broadband bringing Scotland's fastest broadband to Wick. Picture: Peter Jolly

“With Highland Broadband, from the person I spoke to during the setup, to the guy explaining how everything works, it has been great. The guys installing it and the engineer who came later just did everything they said they would.

“The faster speed gives us so much freedom and opens up the possibility of all of our devices – including the TV, tablets, Alexas, doorbell cameras, light switches and heating, all of which work off the WiFi – being able to be used across the whole house. Not only that, I referred a friend and my dad to sign up for Highland Broadband and got six months free for myself.”

Highland Broadband says that its delivery engine is the “fastest throughout rural Scotland”, building a network to more than 30,000 rural premises per year. During 2025, Highland Broadband will have provided more than half of the rural premises in the Highlands with access to a full fibre connection. Highland Broadband employs around 250 people across Scotland, with approximately 100 based in the Highlands.

The aircraft flies over the rooftops of Wick. Picture: Peter Jolly
The aircraft flies over the rooftops of Wick. Picture: Peter Jolly

Colin Woodward, managing director of Highland Broadband, said: “Our mission is to bring fast, reliable broadband to communities who’ve previously missed out on full fibre, closing the gap in access to all digital services. 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.”

Highland Broadband is the only full fibre provider building exclusively in Scotland. The company network is on track to connect 100,000 premises by 2026, resulting in more than 150 towns and villages having access to full fibre connectivity.

Last month, the village of Halkirk, 16 miles from Wick, also saw connection speeds supercharged to become 3000 times faster on average after the installation of a fibre optic network by Highland Broadband. The village’s population sits at 950 and its Highland Broadband 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's Highland dance school in Halkirk is connected to Highland Broadband. Picture: Peter Jolly
Tanya Horne's Highland dance school in Halkirk is connected to Highland Broadband. Picture: Peter Jolly

Tanya Horne, who runs a highland dance school in the village, said reliable broadband will “open up the world” to her young students, while The Ulbster Arms Hotel will use the ultra-fast connection as a major selling point to bring tourism and business to the area. At the Ross Institute, a village hall, the 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.

Highland Broadband work carried out at Halkirk in January. Picture: DGS
Highland Broadband work carried out at Halkirk in January. Picture: DGS

Highland Broadband’s rollout in Caithness, and other rural areas of the Highlands, Lothians, Fife and Stirlingshire which have experienced poor access to ultra-fast full fibre broadband, was supported by investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank, whose investment is aligned to its mission to reduce place-based inequalities and accelerate opportunity.


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