Following the success of Project Stratum, Fibrus begins work on a new £34.6m government mandate to connect 9,000 underserved premises. This is as the region maintains its lead in UK gigabit rankings.
Scaling the regional backbone
The UK Digital Economy Minister, Baroness Liz Lloyd, recently toured the headquarters of Fibrus to mark the beginning of a £34.6m broadband improvement contract. The visit provided a deep dive into the technical operations required to manage a high-density rural full fibre network.
Awarded by the Department for the Economy (DfE) on behalf of DSIT, the project targets the final "white areas" of Northern Ireland's digital map. This phase is critical for a region that already boasts a 96% gigabit-capable service rate, significantly ahead of the UK-wide average of 87%.
Managing network complexity at the NOC
During the tour of the Fibrus Network Operations Centre (NOC), engineers demonstrated the complexity of managing a network that now supports more than 81,000 premises. Key to the rollout is the precision of the build phase; a live fibre splicing demonstration highlighted the field-level expertise required to maintain signal integrity across long-reach rural spans.
Delivering infrastructure for social impact
While the technical achievement is significant, the social utility of the network remains a primary driver. Baroness Lloyd met with representatives from Daisy Lodge, a therapeutic centre for families affected by cancer. Connected via the Hyperfast NI initiative, the centre now relies on high-speed symmetrical connectivity to facilitate support programmes for young people, many of whom are immunosuppressed and rely on virtual interaction for social stability.
The road to 100% coverage
Conal Henry, co-founder and chair of Fibrus, emphasised that the provider's strategy remains "rural-first." By focusing on the most difficult-to-reach premises rather than the easiest "urban wins," Fibrus is setting a benchmark for Project Gigabit delivery across the rest of the UK.
Baroness Lloyd concluded: "It was great to see the work Fibrus is doing to deliver our Project Gigabit rollout across Northern Ireland, ensuring more rural homes, local businesses and community organisations can benefit from fast, reliable connections."
