Why I am summoning internet providers to Shetland after latest cable breakdown

It is not hard to picture the fallout. Outrage in the press, urgent questions asked in the House of Commons or in the Scottish Parliament, perhaps even protests in the streets (how these would be organised without access to social media is another matter entirely). In short, major internet disruption to a major city would be seen as entirely unacceptable and requiring urgent political intervention.

That disruption, however, is precisely the situation facing hundreds of people in Shetland as I write, following damage to a sub-sea internet cable – with little indication yet of when it will be resolved. What would be unacceptable for London or Edinburgh should be unacceptable for Shetland – which is why I am challenging telecommunications providers, government representatives and officials from Ofcom to come here – in person – for a summit on delivering telecommunications resilience for the Northern Isles.

As islanders we are no strangers to the disruption that can be caused by storms and other accidents and incidents. Regular readers will know that this is not the first sub-sea cable break to hit the Northern Isles. It is not even the first of this year – which should go some way towards explaining why islanders’ patience for lost connectivity is wearing a little thin.

After the last cable break in the summer I challenged telecommunications providers to improve their service and their responsiveness. Some progress has been made but the fallout from this month’s disruption should make it perfectly clear just how much further there still is to go. No amount of improved customer service, after all, can mitigate the reality of a month without internet access in your home or your business.

This is not simply a matter of frustration at being cut off from Facebook or TikTok. In Shetland as much as anywhere else losing access to the internet means losing business and other economic opportunities, quite apart from the social consequences of being cut off, particularly for vulnerable people.

Nor should this be considered a “rural” or “island” issue. Delivering on proper resilience is vital not just to the isles but to the security and success of the United Kingdom as a whole. We are an island nation; even if smaller communities are more vulnerable to cable cuts and unexpected damage, it is in everyone’s interest to have better systems in place to protect our infrastructure from harm.

That is why I am pressing for all sides – private companies and public sector organisations – to join next month’s summit and to play their role in improving resilience for our communities. When we convene in Shetland, islanders will be able to see very clearly who has made the effort to turn up and rise to the challenge – and who has not. They will be able to make their own conclusions.

Wherever you are in our country, island or mainland, telecommunications resilience can no longer be treated as a luxury. In 2025 it is a basic requirement for our communities. If we could not imagine tolerating this sort of disruption in London or Edinburgh, we should not tolerate it in the Northern Isles any longer.

Alistair Carmichael is the Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland