Scottish Islands Data Overview (2025)
The Scottish Islands Data Dashboard has been updated following a review of available data. This report summarises the findings. It highlights changes between data available in 2025 and data first collated in 2023 and gives an overview of longer term trends in Scotland's Islands.
9 Digital Connectivity
Access to high speed internet in the Scottish islands has improved significantly in recent years.
Scottish Government schemes to improve internet access in the islands have been highly successful according to Ofcom data to January 2025. For example, access to Gigabit capable broadband in Orkney Islands rose from 1% coverage in 2021 to 18% in 2025. There has been a steady increase in access to superfast broadband which, in 2025, is available to between 78% and 99% of residents in island local authorities. The percentage of residents unable to receive decent[17] broadband is on a downward trend; however it still includes 13% of Orkney islanders and 11% of Shetland Islanders. When asked, the majority of island residents agree that their internet connection is reliable and is fast enough to do what they want online.
The Ofcom data also shows that while geographic 4G coverage remains poorer in rural areas compared to urban areas of Scotland as a whole but coverage in rural areas is increasing at a faster rate. In 2025, 99% of urban areas are covered by all the mobile network operators (MNO) whilst in rural areas total coverage is only 65%, rising to 89% for coverage by at least one operator.
Amongst the three exclusively island local authorities, 4G coverage has increased year-on-year[18] between 2022 and 2025. Coverage by all MNOs ranges between 69% and 82% whilst coverage by at least one operator ranges between 95% and 99%. Across the Scottish Island Regions in 2023, 60% of islanders agreed there is good mobile phone signal in their home and 56% agreed it is good in their local area.
