BT boosts Northern Ireland broadband

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BT is planning on a multi-million pound investment into Northern Ireland in an attempt to revamp its broadband infrastructure.

Along with improved connections for both businesses and consumers, the company has also said the move could create around 60 jobs.

The money from BT will join cash from two Government departments – the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) – to help push out connections into rural areas.

More than 780 cabinets are set to be upgraded, meaning Northern Ireland will have in excess of 2,400 fibre-enabled cabinets, and the company estimated 88 per cent of telephone lines would be linked to fibre access.

Enterprise minister of the North Ireland Executive, Arlene Foster, welcomed the investment and claimed it helped to position the country as a “broadband leader” in Europe.

“Substantial investment in bringing lightning-fast broadband to businesses, schools, colleges and individuals delivers significant economic and social benefits for the whole of Northern Ireland,” she said.

“I want to urge businesses to take full advantage of an improved telecoms infrastructure to help them compete in a fast-moving global market-place.”

Back in 2008, BT vowed to invest £1.5 billion to roll out fibre broadband to 10 million homes across the UK by 2012.

Last May, the company pledged a further £1 billion in an effort to provide fibre to two thirds of UK homes by 2015.

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