- Around 760,000 [1] homes in Northern Ireland now have access to full-fibre broadband, with more than half taking up these services where they are available.
- Average broadband download speeds in Northern Ireland are the highest in the UK.
- 5G availability continues to increase.
More than three quarters of a million Northern Ireland homes have access to full-fibre broadband – a higher proportion of homes than for all other UK nations – according to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report published today.
By using fibre optic cables all the way to the home instead of copper lines, full-fibre broadband is faster and more reliable. Full-fibre networks, as well as cable, can potentially deliver speeds of one gigabit per second (Gbit/s) or higher, which means a better experience for things like streaming, gaming and making video calls.
The annual Connected Nations report finds that 69% (20.7 million) of UK homes now have access to full-fibre broadband, up from 57% (17.1 million) in September 2023. Northern Ireland leads the way with 93% of homes able to access full fibre.
Taking full-fibre and cable networks together, 94% of homes in NI now have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connections.
Full-fibre take-up climbs year on year
The increased availability of full-fibre networks is reflected in growing take-up of these services. The number of NI households signed up to full-fibre broadband services where they are available has risen from 39% to 53% between May 2023 and July 2024.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Northern Ireland has the highest average maximum download speed of the four UK nations, delivering 259 Mbit/s, compared to the UK average of 223 Mbit/s.
Picking up pace
High-speed internet services becoming more accessible in recent years is a result of continued significant commercial and publicly funded investment in fibre networks.
The Northern Ireland Executive’s broadband scheme - Project Stratum - is nearing completion and, as of September 2024, has brought full-fibre broadband to over 78,000 predominantly rural premises. The Department for the Economy (DfE) is now preparing for the implementation of Project Gigabit in Northern Ireland, which will look to serve premises not within the scope of Project Stratum and which are outside of indicated commercial deployment plans. Coupled with commercial rollout plans from several providers, Northern Ireland is on course for near-total full fibre coverage by May 2027.
Full fibre availability is improving across the UK, but Northern Ireland has this year further consolidated its position as the best connected of the four UK nations. Fibre connections are fast and reliable, providing people with the connectivity they need to run a business, work or study from home, stream their favourite shows or shop online for Christmas.
With further publicly funded and commercial investment planned to deliver fast broadband to hard-to-reach areas, Northern Ireland is well on the way towards full-fibre availability for all.
- Jonathan Rose, Ofcom’s Director for Northern Ireland
Meanwhile, the number of homes and businesses unable to access decent broadband continues to fall. Around 2,000 premises are not able to access decent broadband [2] - a reduction from last year’s figure of 3,000.
5G mobile coverage continues to improve, but 4G remains the backbone of mobile connectivity
The availability of 5G continues to grow, with estimated coverage provided outside of Northern Ireland premises by at least one mobile network operator at 86% [3] – a significant rise on last year’s 70%.
4G coverage continues to provide the backbone of mobile experience for consumers. Individual operators provide 4G coverage across most of Northern Ireland – more than 99% of premises are able to connect via at least one operator and 97% of premises have outside 4G coverage from all four MNOs.
Notes to editors:
- The full Connected Nations Northern Ireland 2024 report can be found on Ofcom’s website, along with the UK report.
- [1] More than 760,000 homes in Northern Ireland now have access to full-fibre broadband.
- [2] This is defined by the UK Government as a connection capable of delivering a download speed of at least 10 Mbit/s and an upload speed of 1 Mbit/s.
- [3] Refers to very high confidence of 5G coverage outside of premises in Northern Ireland from at least one mobile network operator.