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Northern Ireland’s newest broadband provider, Fibrus, which is set to transform connectivity for regional and rural parts of Northern Ireland with its Full Fibre service, will now go live in Ballycastle and surrounding areas in Summer 2021.
As part of Project Stratum, Fibrus will connect rural homes and businesses to a new hyperfast full-fibre broadband network over the next 4 years.
Jenny Lennon, Head of Network Build at Fibrus said: “We’re really excited to be delivering this project and transforming lives with Fibrus hyperfast broadband on the Causeway Coast. This full-fibre service is going to be revolutionary for the area, providing families and businesses with something they have never been able to access before.”
Following a recent meeting about the project delivery, Ballycastle Sinn Féin Councillor, Cara McShane, welcomed the rollout in the area; one of the first towns which will experience the benefit of the hyperfast fibre connection as part of Project Stratum.
Cllr Cara McShane said: “Broadband connectivity in this area is one of the most common issues I receive from constituents – from Loughgiel, Ballintoy, Ballycastle and across the Glens.
“This is a largely rural community and yet now more than ever, we are increasingly reliant on faster broadband connectivity.
“Our lives have been transformed over the past year. Whether it has been working from home full-time, home-schooling or simply keeping connected socially with loved ones during the health pandemic, the need for high-speed broadband has undoubtedly never been greater.
“The rollout of Project Stratum has already been positively received by residents and businesses locally. The professional and efficient manner in which the work is carried out on the ground, along with the ease of communication with Fibrus representatives to discuss individual cases or specific issues has really helped foster a great working relationship.”
HyperfastNI, delivered by Fibrus, will manage the Project Stratum deployment plan in Ballycastle, which will also connect the rural areas of Armoy, Ballymoney, Mosside, Ballintoy, Bushmills, Loughguile, Portballintrae and Dervock by Summer 2021. Access to Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband speeds will have a significant impact on these rural communities and individuals living in the area.
Local resident, Frank McCarry says: “As an IT professional I code and support systems for fortune 500 companies, so having a reliable and fast internet connection means that I am able to work from home on a regular basis supporting business critical systems. This enables me to stay in this rural location against the current trend of rural depopulation. My current broadband connection struggles at times to provide this service.
“I am also diversifying to provide some holiday cottages and glamping pods in a remote location. Without the Fibrus upgrade to the broadband network, there would have been no internet connection available on site. Now with the upgrade tourists, staying at my Pod site, will be able to comment in real time their experiences from their stay. These social media updates from tourists will provide a major boost in advertising my site to the wider world, without which, successfully marketing my site would struggle.”