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Managed by the Department for the Economy (DFE) Project Stratum is the largest publicly funded telecommunications infrastructure project of its kind in Northern Ireland. It was developed to improve connectivity for premises unable to access broadband services of 30 Megabit per second (Mbps), primarily across rural areas of Northern Ireland.

Public funding totalling £197m has been allocated to Project Stratum. £150m of this funding was secured under the confidence and supply agreement between the DUP and the Conservatives following the 2017 general election. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport provided a further £22m, with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs providing £20m, and DfE providing funding of £5m.

After a competitive tendering process, the contract to make services available under Project Stratum was awarded to Fibrus Networks Ltd in November 2020. Fibrus Networks, a company that started out three years ago during the Covid-19 pandemic, has expanded rapidly during the roll-out of Project Stratum, and in support of its commercial investment plans, and now directly employs 320 people, with another 400 indirectly employed via build partner Viberoptix who subcontract a further 500.

Minister Lyons said: “Project Stratum is one of the most important major infrastructure projects that Northern Ireland has ever seen. It has been made possible by funding provided through the DUP/Conservative Confidence and Supply agreement, and aims to make Northern Ireland one of the best connected countries in the world.

“The 85,000 premises set to benefit from this much-needed public intervention will help to close a broadband connectivity gap that has existed in Northern Ireland compared with other parts of the UK at superfast levels. Project Stratum aims to maximise coverage for as many eligible premises as possible across predominantly rural areas of Northern Ireland, and all premises to benefit will have access to full fibre, gigabit capable broadband.”

The Minister added: “It is good news that Fibrus have passed over half of the scheduled premises and are already bringing huge benefits to many users, mainly in rural areas, as well as offering new employment opportunities for people here through Fibrus and their suppliers. It is encouraging to see that so many new jobs have been created by this broadband intervention scheme, which includes professionals working in the field and staff based at the contractor’s Belfast facilities. I am also pleased that the social contract commitments under the Project Stratum contract have been exceeded, with Fibrus recording 2,939 New Entrant Training weeks, against a target of 2,640.”

The rollout of Project Stratum is continuing, and Fibrus Networks are on-track to reach all 85,000 premises that form the contract by March 2025.

After great success in Northern Ireland, the company is bringing hyperfast broadband to homes and businesses as part a £200m expansion across Cumbria

• Fibrus is expanding across Great Britain, starting by bringing hyperfast, affordable broadband to previously underserved towns and villages in Cumbria
• As part of the roll out the company is committed to reaching over 113,000 premises by 2025
• £200m is to be invested in Cumbria, benefiting over 40 towns and villages, including Kendal, Workington, Whitehaven and Ulverson
• Fibrus also announces appointment of Martin Dougan as GB Build Director, to oversee the expansion

Today, full fibre broadband provider Fibrus reveals its plans for its roll out in Great Britain. In a staged approach, the expansion will see it cover over 40 towns and villages, including Kendal, Workington, Whitehaven and Ulverston. Having already launched in Penrith in May, the expansion is part of its £200 million investment in Cumbria, which will see the internet provider reach over 113,000 premises in the next three years.

With the importance of digital connectivity a crucial aspect of levelling up the UK economy, Fibrus’ launch is particularly focused on areas that have traditionally been poorly served by broadband in the north of England. With that in mind, residents of Cumbria will benefit from a faster, more reliable and more affordable network.

While phone and TV companies run slow copper phone networks from the cabinet to premises, Fibrus uses a full fibreoptic cable, direct to the premises, providing world class performance. This hyperfast broadband will bring residents in Cumbria’s rural towns and villages a transformative new service they can rely on, for the first time. Further supporting the community, the expansion is set to create over 200 jobs across Cumbria.

Overseeing the roll out is Fibrus’ newly appointed GB Build Director, Martin Dougan. Martin brings extensive experience in managing major telecoms infrastructure projects as well as growing businesses and supply chains to build urban, rural and ultra-rural networks. He joins from Morrison Telecom Services, where he led the build of fibre to the home networks to support the projects delivered on behalf of Openreach in Scotland.

Martin Dougan, GB Build Director, Fibrus comments: “Connectivity is more important than ever and is crucial to levelling up the UK economy. I am therefore delighted to join Fibrus, a company that can play a key role in achieving this. Our GB roll out plan is as ambitious as the incredibly talented and dedicated team who will be bringing hyperfast broadband to those towns and businesses that have been deprived for too long. Following the launch in our first GB town, Penrith, at the end of last month, I can’t wait to further support Fibrus’ fast paced growth and future success.”

Fibrus is committed to offering affordable and reliable broadband, at a time when people need it the most. For more details on the packages and speeds available, please visit: www.fibrus.com

The towns included in the roll out plan are: Kendal, Burneside, Staveley, Windermere, Ambleside, Workington, Whitehaven, Keswick, Cockermouth, Parton, Distington, Mayport, Stainburn, Seaton, Great Clifton, Flimby, Dearham, Silloth, Wigton, Longtown, Brampton, Dalston, Scotby, Ulverston, Dalton-in-Furness, Askam-in-Furness, Haverigg, Broughton-in-Furness, Frizington, Millom, Cleator Moor and St Bees, Egremont, Seascale, Grange-over-Sands, Milnthorpe, Holme, Arnside, Appleby-In-Westmorland, Sedbergh, Shap and Walney Island.

The full fibre specialists, which now have a workforce of over 250 people, have pledged that 50% of the company’s new recruits will be women by 2028. As well as introducing extensive maternal and women specific support measures, Fibrus is accelerating its outreach programmes to educate more young women about careers in fibre engineering and proactively targeting female ‘returners’ who are looking to get back to the workplace.

Speaking on the importance of encouraging more women to take up roles in the full fibre sector, Gillian McCarter, Head of HR Operations at Fibrus said:

“Fibre is an exciting industry which is growing in size and scale, especially here in the UK and Ireland. There are so many benefits this sector can bring to local people, not just in terms of the services it provides but also the career prospects it creates. Engineering may have been seen as a predominantly male area in the past, but we want to break this bias and ensure women are given an equal chance – or better yet, a helping hand – to avail of these opportunities.

“Our efforts to recruit more women will start at a grassroots level, engaging with schools and colleges to promote opportunities for girls to get involved in fibre engineering and other associated careers. We also want to reach women who are seeking a return to work, perhaps after a career break or time off to raise a young family. We have a supportive workplace culture here at Fibrus, so anyone with a position on any of our teams can thrive and grow – just like many of our Senior female leaders have already.”

Fibrus has also rolled out detailed policies to support all of its colleagues through pregnancy loss, and its female colleagues through menopause.

Gillian explained “Our Menopause Support Policy encourages all colleagues to talk and understand more about the menopause and offers guidance for managers in how they can support their female colleagues.”

In keeping with the company’s drive to build an inclusive and equitable workplace for all, Fibrus has also introduced a policy that caters for women experiencing the symptoms of menopause, the Fibrus team is currently made up of almost 20% women, working across areas such as Finance, Construction, Sales and HR, and today’s announcement aims to increase this figure to at least 50%. A variety of live recruitment opportunities are available, so as many women as possible are encouraged to apply, with full training and support offered for a number of roles.

 Gillian continued: “We’re delighted to be able to launch our new initiatives on International Women’s Day and look forward to welcoming more inspiring, intelligent and dedicated women to the Fibrus team.”

For more on the work of Fibrus or to view any current vacancies, visit www.fibrus.com.

• Fibrus launches in Penrith, bringing hyperfast, affordable broadband to its first town in Cumbria
• The company will reach 7,600 homes and businesses in Penrith using 225km of full fibre optic network
• Penrith is the first town to benefit from over £20 million of investment in Cumbria in the first year of the project
• £200 million is to be invested in Cumbria over the complete network roll-out
• After success in Northern Ireland, the move to Cumbria will create around 100 jobs in the region
•  Penrith and The Border MP Dr Neil Hudson welcomes Fibrus’ launch, saying full fibre roll out will provide crucial new connectivity to constituents

Full fibre operator Fibrus has today launched in Penrith, bringing hyper-fast broadband at affordable prices to 7,600 homes and businesses across the town. The move to Cumbria follows huge success across Northern Ireland, and the company has been awarded £200m in state supports to complete the rural build.

As part of its plan to target towns previously underserved by high-speed broadband, Fibrus will provide every home and business in Penrith with the opportunity to connect to a hyperfast full fibre network for the first time, deploying a total of 225km of full fibre optic cable in the town.

While phone and TV companies use slow copper networks from the cabinet to the premises, Fibrus offers ‘full fibre’ all the way to the premises. This method is the global benchmark for providing world class performance and faster network speeds.

 Penrith residents can access full fibre broadband and make everyday activities easier and faster, whether that’s streaming videos, posting on social media, or hosting virtual work meetings. Fibrus’ network can seamlessly connect multiple devices at once meaning users can wave goodbye to lag and buffering.

 Penrith is the first town in Cumbria to benefit from Fibrus’ network expansion beyond Northern Ireland and the company will quickly expand to invest £200m across Cumbria. Immediate plans to launch include Kendal, Burneside, Staveley, Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, and Ambleside.

 Fibrus is focused on supporting local communities, not just with the provision of hyperfast broadband to rural areas, but through the creation of around 100 jobs in the region.

 Dean Jooste, Regional Director at Fibrus comments:

“We are delighted to have launched in Penrith, providing locals with access to fast, reliable and affordable broadband. We know that many rural communities are deprived of hyperfast broadband, having been underserved by the big providers, which is something we aim to change with our expansion across Great Britain. Finally rural residents will have an option to buy proper fibre broadband from a broadband company.”

 Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, comments:

“I’m pleased to welcome Fibrus to Penrith – full fibre broadband is a gold standard for connectivity, and so I’m delighted that many of my constituents will now have access to it, and that over 100 jobs have been created in the local area in order to deliver it.

But there is still more to do – that is why I welcome Fibrus’ ambitious plans for future roll outs across the area. I will continue to work with all providers including Fibrus, and with the Government, to give the people of Penrith and The Border the broadband access they deserve. It is so important that the harder to reach areas of rural Cumbria are not forgotten about and that is a key part of my ‘Better Connectivity’ Campaign.”

As the cost of living continues to rise, Fibrus is committed to offering affordable broadband. Penrith residents, who sign up to an 18 month contract before the end of July, will receive the first six months free. For further details on the three packages and speeds available, please visit: https://www.fibrus.com/6MonthsFreeGB

In response to news of BT price increases, Dominic Kearns, Chief Executive at Fibrus said:

“Here at Fibrus we are horrified at BT’s recent 10% price increase. We cannot believe that the company that withheld proper broadband from rural and regional consumers in Northern Ireland for so long has now decided to increase prices for hard pressed consumers already struggling with record energy bills.”

“Unlike the phone companies we will not be putting our prices up.”

“Fibrus is connecting communities and providing world-class broadband services and we know that shouldn’t mean higher prices for consumers. Broadband connectivity has become an essential utility, especially for those living and working in rural and regional areas, so it is crucial that it is as accessible as possible to enable local businesses and communities to flourish.”

“At a time when household running costs are spiking for families across the UK and Ireland, we want to protect our customers, not punish them and will do everything we can to ensure our broadband prices stay as low as possible. For us, adding additional pressures on consumers is outrageous at a time like this as many are already struggling to make ends meet. BT should explain to their customers exactly how this extreme price hike is justified, because we believe it is not. ”

“Fibrus is a local business for local people, and we will continue to play our part in helping to support local communities. Unlike other suppliers we do not implement in-contract price increases, so there will be no price rise for Fibrus customers.”

More information on 2022 price hikes by BT and other Internet Service Providers can be found at https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2022/01/big-uk-broadband-isps-can-now-confirm-huge-2022-price-hikes.html

Northern Ireland’s fastest growing broadband provider, Fibrus has joined forces with Ulster Farmer’s Union to help further its campaign to revolutionise rural connectivity across the region.

As ‘Affinity Partners’, Fibrus will be providing Ulster Farmers’ Union members with support and spe-cial rates to help move their businesses online using the new Fibrus Full Fibre network, which is cur-rently being installed throughout rural and regional parts of Northern Ireland.

David Armstrong, Managing Director at Fibrus explained the importance of the partnership. He said:

“Working with the team at the Ulster Farmers’ Union, it was clear that we share many of the same values. For Fibrus, it’s all about connecting communities and ensuring those in rural parts of North-ern Ireland are provided with the necessary infrastructure and support to stay connected and operate their businesses on a level playing field to those anywhere else in the region.

“We are already making significant strides in addressing the digital imbalance between urban and rural parts of Northern Ireland. This partnership with the Ulster farmers’ Union will allow us to go even further and reach those agricultural businesses and farming communities who now rely on high levels of connectivity and access to quality broadband services.”

Deputy president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union, David Brown added:

“Our mission is to support a vibrant and sustainable rural economy, so ensuring our local farming businesses have access to strong connectivity services is crucial. With more regulatory and adminis-trative processes and procedures moving online, farms now need to have strong broadband in order to function. Connectivity is now as vital a utility service for farmers as heat and light.

“That’s why this partnership with Fibrus is the perfect fit for the Ulster Farmers’ Union, as they are committed to delivering a robust broadband service to rural areas where the majority of our agri-businesses operate. We hope many of our members can avail of this beneficial opportunity and we look forward to working on more positive initiatives with Fibrus in the future.”

For more information on the Fibrus and Ulster Farmers’ Union partnership, visit www.fibrus.com/ufu.

Northern Ireland’s fastest growing full fibre broadband provider, Fibrus, has been selected by the Northern Ireland Executive to deliver Project Stratum, which will see £350 million invested to bring full fibre broadband to premises across regional parts of Northern Ireland.

Project Stratum will radically transform broadband connectivity by extending gigabit capable full fibre broadband infrastructure to approximately 79,000 homes and businesses across Northern Ireland none of which have access to meaningful broadband services. Fibrus has said that Stratum will help ensure that every home in the region will have access to full fibre broadband by 2025.

Fibrus Chair, Conal Henry welcomed the conclusion of the procurement process and is looking ahead to delivering full fibre broadband across Northern Ireland. He said:

“This £350 million investment, supported by the Executive and our partners at Infracapital, heralds a digital transformation in Northern Ireland. Full fibre broadband is key to unlocking the full potential of NI as a whole and in particular our regional and rural communities. It enables towns, villages and rural communities to realise their economic potential, keeps communities connected and it is now rightly regarded as an essential utility in the same way as light, water or heat.

“The benefits of full fibre broadband are more relevant now in a Covid context than ever before.”

The Project Stratum contract was formally signed this week after a rigorous procurement process. The Northern Ireland Executive, through the Department of the Economy and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is committing £165m to the initiative.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds MLA said the award of the Project Stratum contract to Fibrus will transform the connectivity of Northern Ireland and help to deliver a post Covid economic recovery. She added:

 “The investment of £150million by my Department, combined with £15million from DAERA and the investment by Fibrus in the project, will deliver gigabit-capable broadband infrastructure to more than 76,000 premises in the intervention area. My Department will work closely with the supplier and, through continued engagement with DCMS, will deliver infrastructure to serve all premises in the target intervention area, including those not currently in scope, as soon as possible.”

Conal Henry outlined the investment Fibrus has already made and what additional benefits these investments will bring to rural communities. He continued:

“We have already brought Hyperfast Fibre Broadband to South Down, Mid Ulster and North Antrim, at an investment cost of over £65million. The Stratum project and the associated partnership with the NI Government will accelerate and extend that roll out to even more towns across the province.

“As well as hyperfast speeds, uninterrupted streaming and no buffering for customers, our work will also create 200 new direct and a further 300 indirect jobs for the areas in which we operate. This is a huge opportunity for people living and working in there, particularly at a time when many may have lost jobs due to the pandemic. We look forward to meeting more of the people we will be serving and growing our specialist team.”

Conal concluded: “This investment is a milestone for Fibrus, for Northern Ireland and more importantly, for rural communities across the region.”

For more information on when full fibre broadband will be coming to rural areas as part of Project Stratum, visit www.hyperfastni.com.

Fibrus is currently live in Dundrum, Castlewellan, Newcastle, Ballynahinch, Warrenpoint, Killyleagh, Magherafelt and Maghera. To find out if you can get connected visit www.fibrus.com or call 02890993230.