Thank you, convener, and good morning to committee colleagues.
As our Covid-19 vaccination programme provides some long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel, so the Scottish Government’s plans for economic recovery are brought into ever-sharper focus. I recognise that, as we seek to ensure that the recovery is both green and resilient, high-quality future-proofed digital connectivity will undoubtedly play a central role. That is why, despite all regulation and legislative competence in the area of telecommunications being wholly reserved to United Kingdom ministers and the UK Parliament under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998, as colleagues will be aware, we are seeking to accelerate investment in Scotland’s digital infrastructure wherever possible.
That began with the £463 million digital Scotland superfast broadband, or DSSB, programme, which delivered on time and on budget, going on to exceed our expectations by connecting more than 950,000 premises to fibre broadband, which is 110,000 more than was originally anticipated. Indeed, almost 95 per cent of premises across Scotland are now able to access superfast broadband, which is up from just 59 per cent in 2014. That has delivered a tremendous platform, which we are now building on with our substantial investments in the three R100 contracts, augmented by the Scottish broadband voucher scheme. When combined with the continued expansion of commercial coverage—which, I am glad to say, we are now seeing—we are ensuring that everyone in Scotland can access superfast broadband.
As a result of our efforts to incentivise investment in full fibre through the extension of non-domestic rates relief in our full-fibre charter, the R100 programme has, in many ways, become a full-fibre programme. Build is well under way in south and central areas, and it is now mobilising in the north.
Mobile connectivity is equally vital for many homes and businesses in Scotland, and it can be just as transformative, particularly for those in remote rural and island communities. Through our Scottish 4G infill programme, our £25 million investment will deliver up to 46 new masts, bringing 4G to some of Scotland’s most recognised not-spots. We have already made significant progress, with 11 masts now operational across six local authority areas and many more to follow throughout this year and until 2023. There are, I think, 18 under construction and 11 at the pre-build stage.
Looking to the future, we are investing now to ensure that Scotland reaps the fullest possible benefits from 5G and to secure our position, we would like to think, as one Europe’s most forward-looking digital nations. We have established the Scotland 5G Centre, which will deliver a national network of 5G innovation hubs to work with local small and medium-sized enterprises so that they embrace, utilise and, ideally, innovate with 5G technologies. Earlier this month, the Scotland 5G Centre launched the infralink project, which is creating a national best-practice framework to facilitate the siting and operation of both 4G and 5G digital infrastructure on publicly owned land, buildings and streets.
Resilient digital infrastructure is also crucial in enabling the movement of data both domestically and internationally. I am pleased to say that, today, through our work with the Scottish Futures Trust and a range of partners, we have published a vision and action plan for Scotland to drive significant economic growth through attracting new investment in the green data centres market. That will allow us to capitalise on innovation from real-time, data-hungry applications such as the internet of things, big data analytics and artificial intelligence.
Taken as a whole, our ambitious programmes will leave us well placed to deliver the meaningful step change in digital infrastructure that I know the committee is keen to see and which we feel is required to ensure that all parts of Scotland can share in the benefits of digital connectivity.
I am happy to take questions.