Over 1,500 rural homes connected to full fibre broadband as Project Gigabit NI reaches first major milestone
• Connected to the world around us – the key to one customer connected to faster broadband
Over 1,500 Northern Ireland homes have now been connected as the first phase of Project Gigabit NI is officially complete as 1,593 rural households and businesses across Northern Ireland, have been connected to full fibre broadband for the first time ever.
The Gigabit orders since January 2026 have included a wide range of customers across the province from Portaferry, Moneymore in Co Londonderry and Newtownstewart in Co Tyrone. There has been a wide distribution across the most rural areas of Northern Ireland. Hard to reach rural homes have all benefited from this regionally balanced new programme.
Awarded to Fibrus, the £34.6 million Project is funded by the UK government through the Department for Science, Innovation, & Technology (DSIT) and delivered by Department for the Economy (DfE) will ultimately bring full fibre access to 9,333 of the most rural and hard to reach homes and businesses, helping to future proof communities where connectivity has historically lagged behind urban areas.
One of the first customers connected through Project Gigabit, Clement McArdle lives with his wife in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains, between Mayobridge and Hilltown, surrounded by quarries and a busy haulage road.
With little to no mobile phone signal and unreliable, slow broadband speeds, Clement has lived with the quiet frustrations of buffering and connectivity issues for years.
Streaming would buffer, video calls with family were hit and miss, and even basic online access depended on copper cables and luck.
Today, Clement’s home just outside Newry has become a symbol of how full fibre connectivity is transforming rural life after becoming the first property in Northern Ireland to receive a connection under Project Gigabit.
At 69, Clement is enjoying retirement in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains, It was a beautiful but challenging place to live when it comes to digital connectivity. There is little to no mobile phone signal, leaving households dependent on fixed broadband.
Now a symbol of the difference Project Gigabit is making in the real world, Clement has moved from 5Mbps to 500Mbps speeds, bringing peace of mind, better connection and new everyday freedoms.
He can now stay in touch with family, with their son working in Mayo and their daughter living in Dundalk, reliable video calling has become part of everyday life, and since becoming connected to full fibre broadband, is a seamless conversation rather than a jittery phone call.
This contract follows the successful delivery of Project Stratum, a £200 million initiative backed by the Department for the Economy that brought full fibre broadband to more than 81,000 premises across Northern Ireland, and sees it reign as the leading region in digital connectivity with a rate of 96%.
Rolling out network infrastructure where Clement lives is a complex and demanding undertaking, one that is led by Fibrus’ delivery partner, Viberoptix.
Jenny Lennon, Managing Director of Hyperfast Networks said: “Supporting rural communities is fundamental to our purpose.
“Project gigabit enables us to extend highspeed, dependable connectivity to thousands of more homes and businesses across the north of Ireland, unlocking new opportunities for growth and full participation in the digital economy.
“It is brilliant to see Clement and his wife already feeling the difference and we look forward to further enhancing connectivity, driving innovation and supporting a more regionally balanced and competitive economy through the successful delivery of project Gigabit.”
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: “Fast and reliable broadband is essential to how people live and work today, underpinning economic development, supporting access to services and helping communities stay connected.
“The completion of phase one of Project Gigabit, with the first 1,593 premises now connected to full fibre broadband, is an important milestone and shows the programme delivering real benefits on the ground for households and businesses.
“By extending high speed broadband to more than 9,000 premises, particularly in rural areas, this investment is helping to spread social and economic opportunity across the north.”
Clement McArdle added: “If you are living in the country with no mobile signal, internet access really matters and now we have been connected, we feel so much more at ease living where we do. We can spend more valuable time video calling our children and enjoying live sports and streaming services, basic things that were virtually impossible before.
“The changes have been unbelievable, we love living where we do and now, we don’t feel cut off anymore. We are able to enjoy our retirement in the place we call home and still access the world around us, just as fast as those in the city can.”
UK Telecoms Minister, Liz Lloyd, said: “Reliable connectivity shouldn’t be determined by your postcode. Powered by the UK Government, Project Gigabit NI is ushering more rural communities into the digital era, enabling people to enjoy uninterrupted streaming, seize new opportunities and grow businesses.
“Since July 2024, we’ve delivered gigabit connectivity to over 268,100 premises across the UK. This latest milestone is proof that our investment is delivering results, empowering people to get on with their day instead of waiting for their page to refresh.”
1. The figure of 268,100 premises receiving gigabit-capable broadband coverage as a result of Building Digital UK (BDUK) subsidy is an estimate based on BDUK Delivery Performance Quarterly covering 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2025. This information is published quarterly here.
2. It is estimated 94% of premises in Northern Ireland have access to gigabit-capable broadband – compared to 86% in Britain and 88% in the rest of Ireland. Building on this, Project Gigabit will extend this level of digital capacity to over 9,000 premises, further improving broadband infrastructure in predominantly rural areas.
