8,500 more rural homes and business to get broadband upgrade

AN additional 8,500 homes and businesses are set to benefit from a scheme to extend faster fibre broadband across the North.

The extension of Project Stratum comes off the back of £32 million in extra funding from both Westminster and Stormont.

The news will be welcomed in Tyrone which experiences some of the slowest internet speeds in the UK.

Economy minister said, “Total additional public funding of £32million will be utilised to extend gigabit capable broadband coverage to reach an additional 8,500 homes and businesses in predominantly rural areas of Northern Ireland. The additional premises include 2,500 harder-to-reach properties that were out of scope of the original contract, plus a further 6,000 premises.

The £165million contract for delivery of Project Stratum was awarded to Fibrus Networks Ltd in November 2020. By the end of 2021, Fibrus had delivered new infrastructure to more than 22,000 premises.

Project Stratum is being predominantly funded through money allocated through a deal for the DUP to support Theresa May’s government.

Edwin Poots, the agriculture minister, said, “This additional investment by my Department and others in Project Stratum to extend rural broadband is a clear indication that we remain committed to ensuring that our rural communities benefit from public intervention where it is needed most.”

The roll-out of the new full fibre network to reach all 85,000 premises, including the additional 8.500 premises being brought into scope, will continue across four extended quarters of network build, with Fibrus Networks expected to complete full deployment by March 2025.

Fibrus Networks Ltd Chief Operations Officer Conor Harrison added, “We are very proud to be involved in Project Stratum, as it is transforming people’s lives every day. The additional funding allows more of the most remote properties to get access to a service that every household needs to stay connected in a modern society.”