Broadband provider wins £165m deal to improve rural broadband

Broadband provider Fibrus has been awarded a significant broadband contract, the Department for the Economy has confirmed.

By Gemma Murray

Published 18th Nov 2020, 07:29 BST

Project Stratum is a £165m investment to improve rural internet connectivity across Northern Ireland.

More than 76,000 premises are set to benefit from access to full-fibre broadband.

The total funding for Project Stratum is £165m, with £150m coming from the confidence-and-supply agreement deal signed between the DUP and the Conservative Party in 2017.

The remaining £15m is being provided by Stormont’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds described the announcement as a “significant milestone”.

“We are one step closer to bringing next generation broadband services to those businesses and people who need it most,” she said.

“Fibrus proposes a full-fibre solution, capable of offering speeds of up to one gigabit per second to almost 97% of premises in the target intervention area,” she added.