Remote holy island off the Scottish coast to get some of the fastest broadband Internet in Europe

An island off the coast of Scotland, considered by historians to be the "birthplace" of Scottish Christianity, is set to get some of the fastest broadband in Europe. 

Engineers with Openreach, a digital network and a subset of British telecom company BT Group, said in a statement on Tuesday that they are laying the ground for full-fibre broadband connectivity on Iona, a remote island off the coast of Mull in the Inner Hebrides on the western coast of Scotland. 

The broadband, considered by Openreach to be "some of the fastest, most reliable broadband in Europe," will connect the 170 full-time residents of the island and the more than 100,000 pilgrims and tourists that descend there every year. 

Iona is one of the most significant Christian sites in Scottish history and the burial site for roughly 40 Scottish kings including Kenneth I, the founder of medieval Scotland, according to Historic Environment Scotland (HES). 

As the story goes, St Columba established a monastery there in AD 563, making the island the "birthplace of Christianity in Scotland," HES continued. The island then became an important centre for religion, learning, and literacy.

Making sure broadband does not 'cause any disturbance'

The cables are being laid along historical roads from the main village of Baile Mòr through a nearby conservation area. They also pass by three of the island’s historic monuments. 

Harrie Burney, property manager for the National Trust for Scotland, said in a press release that the works are "scheduled to [carefully] manage" the historical monuments and heritage of the island. 

"We’re working with the engineers to put archaeological monitoring in place and make sure we’re not going to cause any disturbance, but there’s also an opportunity to uncover new finds along the way," Burney added. 

Openreach Chief Engineer Fraser Rowberry said the “top consideration” for this build is to protect the archaeological sites nearby. 

Iona is one of forty Scottish isles that will benefit from the Scottish government’s Reaching 100% (R100) contracts that will connect roughly 113,000 homes and businesses to faster broadband.