Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: Programme pipeline update (September 2022)

Sector: Digital

Programme name: Reaching 100% programme (R100)

Programme description: The R100 programme is a commitment unique across the UK, to enable access to superfast broadband with speeds of at least 30 Megabits per second (Mbps) to every home and business in Scotland.

Estimated total investment: Over £600 million has been committed to the R100 contracts with additional investment also available through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS). Over the past year we have successfully secured further UK Government funding of £28.5 million through Project Gigabit to enhance and extend R100 contract coverage.

How is programme being funded: Government funding of £600 million has been committed to the North, Central and South R100 contracts (£579 million by SG and £21 million by UKG). Extra funding has since been added in to the South contract, in July 2022 and to the North contract in August 2022. In the South contract, this amounted to £6.6 million of funding from UK Government's Project Gigabit. In the North contract, this amounted to £29.6 million made up of £20.2 million of Scottish Government funding and £9.4 million from UK Government.

As the R100 contracts are 'gap funded', the contract delivery partner BT, also contributes towards the capital costs of delivery. This currently amounts to £54 million, including extra contributions added alongside the additional funding described above.

In 2021, UKG announced that it was investing £4.5 million in the Central contract area and £8 million in the North contract area to flip around 9,000 properties from fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) to fibre to the premises (FTTP).

Programme delivery timetable: While high quality infrastructure continues to be built across the country through the R100 contracts and ongoing works by commercial operators, the R100 programme was able to ensure that every address in Scotland could access superfast broadband by the end of 2021 through the provision of the R100 SBVS, meeting the Scottish Government policy commitment.

The R100 Central and South contracts were signed in December 2019 followed by the North in December 2020. Overall contract build is currently expected to complete in 2023-24 for the Central contract, 2024-25 for the South contract and 2027-28 for the North contract. These dates reflect additional time required to accommodate the extended build outlined above.

Latest programme progress: All 16 new subsea fibre cables have been laid through the R100 North contract with remediation work almost complete. These cables will provide gigabit capable, future-proofed, resilient connectivity to the following 15 Scottish islands island communities for decades to come:

• Colonsay, Iona and Lismore in Argyll and Bute
• Eigg in the Highlands
• Eday, Flotta, Hoy, Rousay, Sanday, Shapinsay and Stronsay in Orkney
• Fair Isle, Unst, Whalsey and Yell in Shetland
• There is also a cable laid between Sanday and Fair Isle

All of the planned R100 build in the South and North contract areas, including the recently announced extended build and the vast majority in the Central contract, will be gigabit capable. This is more than 30 times faster than the original commitment to deliver 30Mbps. As much of the technology delivered will go beyond the original superfast commitment, the engineering works will take time but it will ensure that a future-proofed and resilient broadband infrastructure reaches some of the most rural and remote areas of Scotland.

The R100 contract build is well underway with connections now live in all contract areas. As at 31 July 2022, over 10,900 connections to premises across the R100 contracts have been built.

The demand-led R100 SBVS continues to provide homes and businesses access to superfast broadband where no contracted or commercial build is scheduled. As at 1 September 2022, 2,437 premises had received a minimum of a superfast broadband connection courtesy of an R100 SBVS voucher with a further 783 vouchers issued.

Contribution to economic development: The R100 programme continues to contribute to Scotland's economy. Access to superfast broadband is a key enabler for economic recovery and R100 public spending is focused where it is needed most – in rural Scotland. This can be illustrated through recent feedback from beneficiaries of the R100 programme:

A resident from Assynt, Sutherland said: "This installation has enabled me to accept a remote working job offer following seven years out of work." A resident from Banavie, Highland said: "I would often travel 400 miles per week for work; I haven't travelled at all for 21 months since my home broadband improved."

Contact for public enquiries: All public enquiries should be directed towards the R100 Enquiries Team at the Superfast Broadband - R100 Public Enquiries website Further information can be found at the Superfast Broadband website.

Programme name: Digital Public Services Programme

Programme description: Increased investment in developing common digital operating platforms and the transformation of key public services.

Estimated total investment: £110 million.

How is programme being funded: Capital funding for the programme fund covers financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26.

Programme delivery timetable: Programmes are currently in-flight and are on target to deliver benefit realisation over the parliamentary term.

Latest programme progress: In December 2021, the Scottish Government Payments Service, reached a significant milestone, successfully processing its very first, one off payment to recipients of a discretionary fund administered by Independent Living Fund Scotland (ILF Scotland), its first beta partner.

The end of June 2022 saw the official launch of a Minimum Viable Service (MVS) as the service moved into a private beta phase. This beta launch commenced the start of ILF Scotland process regular weekly BACS (Bacs Payment Scheme) payment cycle via the Scottish Government payments service. As of 30 September 2022, the payments service has processed 15 consecutive weekly payment runs, making 550 individual payments totalling a value of approximately £1 million. Completion of the programme's next set of priorities and overall development of the payments service is expected at the end of financial year 2023-24, with on boarding of public bodies and benefit realisation expected to continue over a 10-year period until 2032. The first phase of beta delivery is expected to conclude in October 2022.

The Digital Identity Programme continues to work with its partner and is moving towards launch of a minimum viable service in Autumn 2022 with the Secure Sign On component ready in September 2022 and the integrated Secure Sign On and Identity Verification components ready in November 2022. Disclosure Scotland have signed up to be the first Service Customer for the Digital Identity service and exploratory work continues on the next component of the service.

The Cloud programme delivered Release 1.0, a minimum viable Scottish Government Cloud Platform AWS (Amazon Web Services) service in July 2022 and continues to provide services to Digital Payments, Digital Identity, Digital Connectivity R100 and Digital Data GISat. The design of Release 2.0 AWS strategic architecture has been completed, ready for build to commence in November 2022. Procurement of the AWS One Government Value Agreement is progressing, enabling Scottish Government Cloud Platform Service AWS customers access to discounted rates. The Azure environment has been secured through the existing Scottish Government Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, with the Alpha stage underway and due to be completed in November 2022.

The Cloud programme is developing the Full Business Case including a Service, Operations and Cost model for live service to submitted to the Cloud Programme Board for approval in November 2022. Work has commenced on confirming a pipeline of customers to on-board to the Scottish Government Cloud Platform Release 2.0 and defining the resourcing plan for an operational team to run the live service. The Cloud programme is on track to deliver Release 2.0, a Scottish Government Cloud Platform AWS live and Microsoft Azure beta service in April 2023. A Release 3.0 for SG Cloud Platform Microsoft Azure live is scheduled for the Summer 2023.

The CivTech 2022-26 Full Business Case was approved by Ministers in May 2022. This incorporates a significant scaling of the programme, in line with the 2022-26 Programme for Government commitment of up to £46 million funding for Challenges and £13.5 million operating costs. CivTech 7 launched in June 2022 and work is developing on the GovTech Cluster, with an anticipated launch in early 2023.

Working with CivTech, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy Delivery Programme has taken forward a number of innovation projects to deliver commitments in the strategy on transparency and accountability of public sector algorithms. The data platforms programme has delivered a first phase analytical workbench that now supports over 100 users with subsequent phases of the platforms programme underway.

Contribution to economic development: The Scottish Government's Digital Strategy 2021, A changing nation: How Scotland will thrive in a digital world, will drive efficiencies across the public sector. Digital Identity Scotland will provide a single digital identity for Scottish citizens to access public services in Scotland and the Payments platform will provide a centralised payments out/in digital service for public sector organisations to consume as required.

The Cloud First Programme enables the Scottish public sector to realise the benefits of Cloud services by accelerating the adoption of modern cloud technology by providing a Scottish Government Cloud platform. The programme will consolidate technical resources across Scottish Government to ensure public services are secure, sustainable and cost effective while supporting delivery of the Scottish Government's ambitions for a modern, flexible and responsive organisation, delivering services for the citizens of Scotland.

CivTech Alumni companies are employing over 300 people with an in-year gross increase in jobs in 2021-22 of 72 and an average remuneration of £44,441 per annum - 61% of turnover comes from Scotland; 30% comes from the rest of the UK; and 9% internationally. Private sector investment has risen from a total of around £6 million in March 2020 to over £50 million at March 2022. Of the 66 companies that have taken part in CivTechs 1-6, there is an 86% 'survival rate', comparing well to typical private sector accelerators where up to 80% of the teams fail, and to general start-up survival rates which have been calculated at 50% at the end of year 5.

The AI Strategy programme is supporting innovators and the effective use of data to support policy development and evaluation across a range of economic and social challenges facing Scotland, adopting a 'once for Scotland' approach to data analytics platforms.

Contact for public enquiries: Digital Identity Programme email: digitalidentityscotland@gov.scot / Digital Payments Programme email: SGpaymentservice@gov.scot / Cloud Programme email: Cloud1st@gov.scot / CivTech Programme email: Mark.Elliott@gov.scot / AI Strategy email: Jeremy.Darot@gov.scot