In addition, BT recently deployed an additional subsea fibre link between Shetland and Orkney as part of the ongoing R100 project, although this one isn’t fully live yet and may not be utilised by every operator. Advertisement“Because the damage is close to shore, certain preparations will need to be made in Orkney before repairs can commence,” said a spokesperson for Shetland Telecom. The company operates seven state-of-the-art vessels – Ile de Sein, Ile de Batz, Ile de Bréhat, Ile d’Aix, Ile d’Yeu, Ile d’Ouessant, and Ile de Molène – although most of these are currently tasked with work on the other side of the world. In terms of alternative options, residents on Shetland can now purchase packages via Starlink’s LEO satellite broadband network, which may be a useful alternative for redundancy. However, Vodafone (VodafoneThree) did recently announce that they had begun a new “feasibility study”, which will explore the possibility and cost of deploying a new subsea fibre optic cable to help boost broadband and mobile connectivity on the Shetland Islands and boost resilience (here).