In a ground-breaking step forward for Scotland, DLA Piper has advised on the £264 million Step Change (Rest of Scotland) agreement which aims to deliver significant improvements in broadband services for Scotland.

Step Change is a next generation access (NGA) broadband project procured under the DCMS Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) Framework. It aims to deliver the Scottish Government's interim Digital Scotland objectives, building towards a world class broadband infrastructure by 2020.

The £264 million project involves the successful supplier, BT plc, rolling out NGA technologies across 27 local authority areas in Scotland.

Global law firm DLA Piper provided legal support throughout the project.

Callum Sinclair, a Partner in the Technology group, led the DLA Piper team in Scotland. He said: “Drawing on our experience of complex technology and telecoms projects and best practice from our offices in the UK and around the world, DLA Piper advised on all legal and commercial aspects of the project including regulated procurement, telecoms regulatory and State Aid advice, as well as local authority and funder engagement and preparation of the contract. We look forward to the project delivering tangible results for Scotland."