Development agency HIE hails fibre broadband rollout

HIE is leading a project rolling out fibre-based broadband connections

More than 230,000 homes in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) area now have access to fibre-based broadband, the agency has said.

It said the figure for its Digital Highlands and Islands next generation broadband project equates to 85% of the region's premises.

Targets in each local authority area have been met or passed, HIE said.

The development agency's region includes the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands, Moray and Argyll.

The figures are included in the agency's annual accounts for 2017-18.

Digital Highlands and Islands forms part of the wider, Scottish government-funded Digital Scotland project.

The government has committed to 100% superfast coverage in Scotland by 2021.

Pharmaceutical plant

HIE's annual report also gives details of its investment in several infrastructure projects.

They include a £2.8m extension and alteration of a factory leased to renewable energy company CS Wind at Machrihanish, in Kintyre, Argyll.

In the Western Isles, the expansion of the HIE-owned pharmaceutical plant at Breasclete, in Lewis, was completed.

HIE said this has allowed the tenant, BASF Pharma, to continue its growth and expand its current workforce of 80 jobs.