Thousands of Tyrone homes don’t have ‘usable’ broadband

THOUSANDS of local homes are currently unable to access ‘usable’ broadband, a scathing report which laid bare the extent of Tyrone’s ‘digital deficit’ has revealed.

The figures, published last week, outlined how Fermanagh and Omagh remains one of the worst areas in the North for broadband access.

According to the data, 2,500 households in the Fermanagh and Omagh area still do not have access to ‘usable’ broadband, second only to neighbouring Mid Ulster, with 3,000.

This is despite the UK Government’s much-vaunted ‘Project Gigabit’, which aims to roll out a £5bn development scheme to improve all household broadband in the UK by 2025, and to have full coverage by 2030.

So far, the North has yet to receive any of the planned budget to improve broadband under the government scheme, which was announced three years ago.

Some local students, who had to rely on WiFi for online classes during the Covid lockdowns, claimed that the situation was so bad that they had to move out of their homes for better broadband access.

Cllr Barry McElduff said this was a ‘West of the Bann issue’ that was ‘crucial’ for modern life.

He said, “This report is the latest in a long line of studies which highlight broadband deficit issues west of the Bann, including counties Tyrone and Fermanagh.

“Broadband is crucial for many aspects of our lives in 2023.

“ It is essential for social connectivity, for economic competitiveness and for education, not least.”

He added, “That is why the Department and other relevant public bodies need to redouble their efforts to ensure that this community is given the tools to succeed in terms of quality broadband provision.”

A Department for the Economy (DfE) spokesperson said, “Project Gigabit is the UK government’s flagship £5bn programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access gigabit-capable broadband.

“DfE is working in partnership with UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to develop a procurement approach that will incentivise the market to target homes and businesses that are not included in broadband suppliers’ commercial plans, reaching parts of Northern Ireland that might otherwise miss out on getting lightning-fast digital connectivity.

“DfE recently completed a public review to determine if the information held on gigabit coverage at addresses across Northern Ireland is correct. The department is currently undertaking an assessment of the responses, after which it will publish a summary report outlining postcode level maps.

“The Department will then consider if government intervention is required, and, if so, will take forward further work to develop the business case.

“As published in DfE’s 10X delivery plan for 2023/24 and subject to approvals, we plan to launch an Invitation to Tender later in the year, with a view to awarding a contract in early 2024/25.”