Hyper-Fast Broadband Across Northern Ireland Is Good News For Households And Businesses

One success story across Northern Ireland is the hyper-fast broadband provision that we have, whether we are in a city such as Belfast or out in the rural community. It’s fantastic for householders, as they often have a multitude of devices running at any given moment, but it’s also great news for businesses across the country.

Many people are now working remotely from home and high speed broadband can be key for this scenario to work effectively for them, and there are many businesses in rural locations who are really profiting from this.

Northern Ireland Far And Away The Best Connected Region

Here are some excerpts from a recent article in the Irish News written by David Armstrong, the chief executive of b4b group:

“For both full-fibre provision and gigabit-capable broadband, Northern Ireland is far and away the best connected region.

“The 2022 edition showed an incredible 87 per cent of all premises could access fibre broadband capable of at least a gigabit including 65 per cent of those in rural areas. By comparison, just 37 per cent of businesses and homes in countryside locations across the UK enjoyed the same level of access.

“The figure will only improve yet further with Fibrus, which is leading the drive to bring hyper-fast fibre connections to previously unreached locations recently marked a significant milestone, delivering the network to its 250,000th premises.

“The roll-out is transforming businesses and communities as their access to high-speed coincides with the rise in remote work, e-commerce and digital transformation.

Hyper-Fast Fibre Internet Can Significantly Increase Productivity And Efficiency

“For businesses, hyper-fast fibre internet can significantly increase their productivity and efficiency, opening up access to cloud-based tools and enabling collaboration with colleagues in real-time, regardless of location for example.

“They’re also vastly improving their customer service by being able to provide faster response times and better online support.

“For community life also, the social cohesion enabled by better access to internet cannot be underestimated, ensuring people continue to live – and work – in rural settings, which in turn is good for the local economy in those locations.

“Having access to hyper-fast internet is only part of the story. Businesses must also ensure they are fully geared up to leverage the opportunity in terms of having advanced IT systems and technology in place as well as the right people using them.

“As a result, there’s no reason why a high-tech company can’t operate at the cutting edge whilst located in a rural setting, far from any city or town centre.

“This is an incredibly important development as we seek to maintain community life and reduce the need for those living in the countryside to face long commutes for high-skilled work.”