Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 76224 on Broadband: Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the number of households with copper-based broadband connections in (a) Inverness, Skye, and West Ross-shire constituency with (b) the national average.

As stated in answer to question 76224, we estimate 18,540 households (35%) in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency are reliant on copper-based broadband. Using data from the same source (Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2025 Spring Update), we estimate 33% of residential properties in Scotland and 26% of residential properties in the UK are reliant on copper-based broadband connections. Most of these premises may also have recourse to connectivity through fixed wireless access.

These figures are accurate as of January 2025.

Figures for copper-based connections include broadband delivered by mixed technologies such as gigabit capable coaxial cable, fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC), as well as solely copper-based technologies such as ADSL.