More than three quarters of a million Northern Ireland homes have access to full-fibre broadband – a higher proportion of homes than for all other UK nations – according to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report published today.
By using fibre optic cables all the way to the home instead of copper lines, full-fibre broadband is faster and more reliable. Full-fibre networks, as well as cable, can potentially deliver speeds of one gigabit per second (Gbit/s) or higher, which means a better experience for things like streaming, gaming and making video calls.
The annual Connected Nations report finds that 69% (20.7 million) of UK homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, up from 57% (17.1 million) in September 2023. Northern Ireland leads the way with 93% of homes able to access full fibre.
Taking full-fibre and cable networks together, 94% of homes in NI now have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connections.
High-speed internet services becoming more accessible in recent years is a result of continued significant commercial and publicly funded investment in fibre networks.
The Northern Ireland Executive’s broadband scheme – Project Stratum – is nearing completion and, as of September 2024, has brought full-fibre broadband to over 78,000 predominantly rural premises. The Department for the Economy (DfE) is now preparing for the implementation of Project Gigabit in Northern Ireland, which will look to serve premises not within the scope of Project Stratum and which are outside of indicated commercial deployment plans. Coupled with commercial rollout plans from several providers, Northern Ireland is on course for near-total full fibre coverage by May 2027.
Jonathan Rose, Ofcom’s Director for Northern Ireland, said: “Full fibre availability is improving across the UK, but Northern Ireland has this year further consolidated its position as the best connected of the four UK nations. Fibre connections are fast and reliable, providing people with the connectivity they need to run a business, work or study from home, stream their favourite shows or shop online for Christmas.
“With further publicly funded and commercial investment planned to deliver fast broadband to hard-to-reach areas, Northern Ireland is well on the way towards full-fibre availability for all.”
Meanwhile, the number of homes and businesses unable to access decent broadband continues to fall. Around 2,000 premises are not able to access decent broadband [2] – a reduction from last year’s figure of 3,000.