NMD Council Plays Key Role In Leading LFFI Network Forward
• 887 Public Buildings in Northern Ireland Get Broadband Boost
The launch event took place at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry to celebrate the success of the Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) and Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) projects, funded by Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The launch was held on Wednesday 16 November and marks the completion of one of the largest broadband initiatives delivered by multiple public sector organisations across Northern Ireland as part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up strategy.
The Full Fibre Northern Ireland (FFNI) Consortium, which is made up of ten councils outside Belfast and the Business Services Organisation (BSO), is led by Newry Mourne and Down District Council.
The Consortium, having successfully secured £23.1million of UK Government funding from DCMS in 2018, rolled out this ambitious project with the aim of expanding the high-speed fibre broadband footprint in Northern Ireland.
Now completed, the project has connected 887 public sector buildings to high-speed ‘gigabit capable’ broadband throughout Northern Ireland. This includes over 240 GP surgeries, 148 community centres, 90 council offices, 79 recycling centres, 69 fire stations and 63 leisure centres.
These sites now have the infrastructure to access internet speeds at least ten times faster than their old, mostly copper-based connections.
As requirements increase in the future, they will be able to tap into gigabit capable speeds of 1,000 megabits per second and above.
Speaking at the event, Newry Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Michael Savage, said: “FFNI is essentially an Economic Development and Regeneration project and this multi-million-pound investment will assist those at risk of digital exclusion.
“Also it will create local jobs and allow public sector partners to offer more digital services to businesses and residents across the district.
“The collaboration between public-sector bodies through FFNI has played a key role in supporting digital ambitions, which will empower our local communities and businesses to bounce back from the pandemic and the positive impact will be even more far reaching for years to come.”
UK Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said: “Thanks to the UK Government’s investment, Northern Ireland continues to lead gigabit broadband connectivity levels across the four nations.
“More than four in five homes in the country now have access to the fastest and most reliable broadband on the market.
“These lightning-fast connections will help improve public services and benefit businesses and communities from Larne to Lisnaskea.
“Through our record £5 billion Project Gigabit investment programme, we are also making sure people living and working in rural areas can access the top-of-the-range connection speeds.”
Project build partner and local full fibre broadband provider Fibrus supported the rollout of LFFN and RGC on behalf of FFNI. Chief Operating Officer Shane Haslem explained how the company is “committed to enabling local communities”.
He said: “Despite being hubs for local businesses and family homes, rural areas across Northern Ireland have gone without quality connectivity services for too long.
“With the pandemic accelerating society’s need for meaningful online connections coupled with a shift in working patterns to a hybrid model, access to high-speed reliable broadband has become critical for homes, businesses and our public services.
“The arrival of full fibre broadband across 887 public buildings will help address regional and digital imbalance, revolutionising how the public sector operates on a daily basis. This will ultimately benefit the people of Northern Ireland by allowing them to access quality services in the heart of their own community.”
By connecting these public sector sites, it enables additional connections to be made to nearby residential and commercial properties through separate commercial investment plans and allows communication providers to extend the rollout of gigabit capable connectivity.
Such connections will facilitate digital transformation and create enhanced social and economic opportunities, which will transform the lives of Northern Ireland’s rural communities.
The committed efforts of the FFNI Consortium and its component councils and public sector partners, together with the significant investment from DCMS and Fibrus will help to make a tangible difference not only to the public sector, but also to the lives of families, people, communities and businesses right across Northern Ireland.
- FFNI and the Council Consortium
Ten Northern Ireland councils have been working together since June 2018 to create and build the Full Fibre Northern Ireland Consortium (FFNI).
This Consortium comprises of all 10 councils outside of Belfast and is hosted by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
The aim of FFNI is to expand the high-speed fibre broadband footprint across the region to ensure the availability and affordable connectivity in Northern Ireland to support future growth and prosperity.
Consortium Members include: Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Ards and North Down Borough Council, The Business Services Organisation, Causeway Coast and Glens Brough Council, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Mid Ulster District Council and hosted and led by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
- About LFFN, FFNI and Funding
The Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme was designed to stimulate commercial investment in full fibre networks in both rural and urban locations across the whole of the UK funded by the National Productivity Investment Fund.
FFNI secured £15m of LFFN funding in March 2019 from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
And a further £9m of Rural Gigabit Connectivity funding (RGC) in September 2020. In total, 887 public sector sites were connected by March 2022 resulting in £23.1m of UK Government funding.
This investment from DCMS has contributed to the development of important telecoms infrastructure and full fibre across NI.
The £23.1m funding has facilitated the installation of full fibre ‘gigabit capable’ broadband to public sector buildings.
This investment has the potential to provide improved digital connectivity and unlock considerable economic value across rural and regional NI.
It will also make it easier for suppliers to provide full fibre to nearby businesses and residential properties.
Group Shot: Representatives from the Full Fibre Northern Ireland Consortium, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Fibrus, which attended the celebration event for the completion of the Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) and Rural Gigabit Connectivity (RGC) projects at the Canal Court Hotel, Newry.
Official:
Back Row Left to Right:
• Cllr Ivor Wallace, Mayor, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
• Cllr Allan Rainey, Vice Chair, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
• Ben Doran, Assistant Director for BSO Information Technology Services , Business Services Organisation
• Cllr Uel Mackin, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council
Front Row Left to Right:
• Cllr Angela Dobbins, Deputy Mayor, Derry City and Strabane District Council
• Cllr Leah Smyth, Deputy Mayor, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
• Shane Haslem, Chief Operating Officer, Fibrus
• Dominic Kearns, Chief Executive Officer, Fibrus
• Cllr Michael Savage, Chairperson, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council
• Jim Hill, Local Delivery Lead, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
• Cllr Karen Douglas, Mayor, Ards and North Down Borough Council
• Cllr Frances Burton, Deputy Chair, Mid Ulster District Council
 and Rural){kind=link}