The benefits of next generation broadband have moved a step closer for Northern Ireland

Last week we announced a contract has been awarded to homegrown telecoms firm Fibrus in one of the biggest broadband projects the country has ever seen: Project Stratum.

It means we are one step closer to bringing the benefits of next generation broadband to tens of thousands of homes and businesses and helping deliver on the UK government’s commitment to level up every corner of the UK with better infrastructure.

Project Stratum is looking to solve a stark problem in NI. Coverage of superfast broadband — which offers speeds of at least 30 megabits per second — stands at 89.4% of premises, lagging behind Wales, Scotland and England.

Outside Northern Ireland’s urban areas there are still far too many people stuck in the digital slow lane or suffering in broadband blindspots. This is unacceptable.

That’s why the UK government has allocated £150 million to the NI executive for this project to bring better broadband to rural areas too.

By December 2023, Fibrus will have delivered faster full-fibre broadband to more than 76,000 homes and businesses in the countryside — including most of the premises which don’t have superfast speeds right now.

Full-fibre cables going directly into people’s homes and businesses will bring the swiftest and most reliable internet connections around. This will take speeds way beyond superfast into the range of 1,000 megabits, or one gigabit, per second.

These future-proofed connections will not only meet people’s needs to work remotely and keep in touch with families today. It will mean they’ll be able to take advantage of all the new advances in connected technology we can expect in the coming decades.

Gigabit broadband allows for streaming of film and virtual reality gaming content in high quality 4K and 8K definition onto multiple devices at the same time. It will also end poor or patchy connections to make it even easier to shop and trade online or stay in touch with friends and family.

And, crucially, it will help the nation’s beautiful countryside communities get the connectivity they need to help their businesses develop and grow. Gigabit broadband will encourage existing businesses to invest for the long term, supporting thousands of high-paid high-skilled jobs. And it will fuel Northern Ireland’s innovators and wealth creators wherever they are based.

With this significant funding, the UK government is helping to create equal opportunities for people regardless of where they live and building the infrastructure needed to build back better in the wake of the pandemic.

• Matt Warman MP is UK minister for digital infrastructure

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