- From Dumfries to the Shetland Islands, BT has successfully upgraded connectivity at over 5,000 public sector sites across Scotland as part of the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) programme
- Hospitals, GP surgeries, pharmacies, schools and local government offices across Scotland are now benefiting from improved, more resilient connectivity
- Delivered ahead of schedule, the milestone marks completion of one of the UK’s largest public sector network transformation programmes
2nd November 2026: BT announces the completion of its upgrade to the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN), a major programme to update public sector connectivity across Scotland. Delivered ahead of schedule, the milestone represents significant progress in one of the UK’s largest public sector network transformation programmes, improving digital infrastructure for organisations that deliver vital services in communities across the country.
BT was appointed as a provider of public sector connectivity across Scotland under the SWAN contract, awarded by NHS National Services Scotland (Now Public Services Delivery Scotland) in 2023. The contract is worth up to £350 million over six years and is designed to help futureproof public sector connectivity, including in some of the country’s most rural areas.
Since the contract began, BT has delivered upgraded connectivity designed to support faster, more secure and more resilient public services. Working with NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Ambulance Service, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, local authorities and national agencies, BT has transformed connectivity at over 5,000 locations across Scotland to support better communication, data sharing and collaboration.
Sites benefiting from the upgrade include major hospitals, GP surgeries, dentists, pharmacies, schools, libraries, transport hubs and local government buildings. From Dumfries to the Shetland Islands, the programme is helping provide the digital backbone needed to support essential services for citizens, staff and communities across Scotland.
Over the past 12 months, BT and its partners have completed some of the most technically demanding stages of the programme, including major fibre builds and transitions across complex public sector environments. The work has often involved transitioning live critical and national services, requiring close coordination and specialist engineering expertise.
Moving forward, BT will continue to work closely with Public Services Delivery Scotland and Scotland’s public sector organisations throughout the remainder of the contract to enhance the SWAN service, support evolving customer requirements and deliver ongoing improvements in network capability, resilience and security. The contract provides a platform for continued collaboration, helping public sector organisations across Scotland benefit from a modern, secure and future ready digital infrastructure.
Ishbell MacPhail, Head of BT Business, Scotland, said: “This is an important milestone for BT and for the organisations that rely on SWAN every day to deliver vital public services. From healthcare and emergency response to schools and local government, better connectivity helps teams share information more effectively, collaborate more easily and support people in communities across Scotland.”
“This programme stands out not only for its scale, but for the complexity of delivering major network upgrades while critical services continue to operate. By working closely with partners across the public sector, we are helping to build a secure and resilient platform that can support innovation and improved services long into the future.”
Steven Flockhart, Director of Digital and Security, Public Services Delivery Scotland, said: “Working collaboratively with Public Services Delivery Scotland and BT, organisations across the SWAN community have completed the transition to enhanced network services that provide the resilience, performance and flexibility required to meet the evolving needs of modern public services.
Together, we are creating an advanced digital foundation that will support innovation, transformation and improved public services for years to come, ensuring that SWAN remains the digital home of Scotland’s public sector.”
Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Business and Fair Work said: “The successful upgrade of digital connectivity at more than 5,000 public sector sites across Scotland is a significant achievement.
“Reliable digital connectivity is increasingly essential to the delivery of public services. Through the £350 million SWAN contract, awarded by NHS Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, BT and public sector organisations working in partnership have helped provide the robust and dependable digital infrastructure that they rely upon to serve communities across the country.”
SWAN provides a secure and resilient platform for Scotland’s public sector, enabling new and improved ways of delivering services, including virtual healthcare, remote diagnostics and more modern contact centre operations and supporting technologies including voice, video, cloud connectivity and secure remote access.
The programme supports the Scottish Government’s wider digital ambitions by helping create a more consistent, future-ready approach to connectivity across the public sector. As further transitions are completed, organisations on the network will continue to benefit from stronger performance, resilience and security.
The programme has been delivered through close collaboration between BT, Openreach and a range of delivery partners, highlighting the role of industry and public sector organisations working together to deliver national-scale transformation.
As the programme moves forward, SWAN will continue to provide a platform for innovation, deeper collaboration across public services and improved digital experiences for people and communities throughout Scotland.
ENDS
About BT Group
BT Group is the UK’s leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications and related secure digital products, solutions and services.
BT Group consists of three customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; Business covers companies and public services in the UK; and Openreach is an independently governed, wholly owned subsidiary wholesaling fixed access infrastructure services to its customers – over 700 communications providers across the UK. BT has announced that International, which serves multinational organisations headquartered outside the UK and overseas public sector customers, will be contributed into a new joint venture, expected to complete in the second half of 2027.
British Telecommunications Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/about
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