Northern Ireland’s £150m Broadband Funding Could Boost Local Economy by £1.2bn

A new report commissioned by BT indicates that a £150 million deal to upgrade Northern Ireland’s broadband networks could help to generate and additional £1.2 billion of revenue for the local economy.

Following the snap UK election last year, Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was able to negotiate the additional funding from Westminster, as part of a deal that kept the Conservative party in power.

The funds will help to provide ultrafast full fibre broadband to over 140,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland.

The report states that for every pound invested today, Northern Ireland’s economy will reap £8 of benefits by the year 2033.

“This report highlights the huge potential of an expansion of ultrafast fibre broadband in rural areas and how it could open a wealth of opportunities, future-proofing our infrastructure and enabling Northern Ireland to compete alongside the best fibre networks in Europe,” Mairead Meyer, managing director of Northern Ireland Networks at BT, told The Irish News newspaper.

BT customers in Mid-Ulster, Fermanagh and Omagh regions will be among those to see a dramatic boost in connectivity, according to the report.

Brining full fibre, gigabit capable connectivity to Britain’s hard to reach and rural communities will be a key theme at this year’s Connected Britain event. Click here for a full agenda and to find out how you can be a part of the show.  – Total Telecom