Check your address by 6 July to see if you might get faster broadband
Date published:
The Department for the Economy (DfE) is reminding people to review their home or business address via an online address checker to see if it may be eligible for future improved broadband connectivity.
This is part of a Public Review the Department is undertaking as part of the planned implementation of Project Gigabit in Northern Ireland.
The address checker is available on nidirect: Address checker
All interested stakeholders, including members of the public, businesses, groups and organisations, and telecoms infrastructure providers, are being asked to review if the information held on gigabit coverage is correct by 6 July 2023.
Gigabit capable broadband requires infrastructure and technology solutions capable of delivering one gigabit, which is equivalent to 1,000 Mbps.
If you believe the information the Department holds is not correct, you can let us know via the online address checker.
This public review is important as it seeks to ensure that the intervention area for Project Gigabit – that is the areas potentially eligible for future improved broadband connectivity - is as accurate as possible.
Project Gigabit will aim to bring into scope any sub-30 Mbps premises that cannot benefit from Project Stratum.
Fast and reliable broadband, in every part of Northern Ireland, is essential now and in the future as we grow the economy.
Together, both Project Gigabit and the Department’s Project Stratum will seek to ensure that premises across Northern Ireland, particularly those in rural areas, have access to the best available broadband services, future-proofing connectivity needs for generations to come.
More information on the Public Review is available on the Department's website at:- Project Gigabit
Notes to editors:
- Project Gigabit is the UK Government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.
- Project Gigabit’s capital requirements in Northern Ireland will be funded by the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
- The Department for the Economy is leading on the delivery of Project Gigabit in Northern Ireland, subject to final approvals in advance of a tender process. Following the Public Review, DfE will confirm the premises which are potentially eligible for intervention.
- In December 2022, the Department launched an Open Market Review (OMR) for Project Gigabit, seeking responses from all existing and prospective broadband infrastructure providers, to establish existing and planned coverage of broadband services across Northern Ireland. DfE is now launching the Project Gigabit Public Review in order to validate the results of the OMR.
- Project Stratum is a public investment of £197m which is providing full fibre broadband, capable of delivering gigabit speeds, to around 85,000 premises previously without access to a service of 30 Mbps, in predominantly rural areas of Northern Ireland.
- Project Gigabit will aim to bring into scope any sub-30 Mbps premises that cannot benefit from Project Stratum, due to State Aid or project capacity restrictions.
- The majority of eligible premises likely to benefit from Project Gigabit are expected to be homes and businesses that may have access to superfast broadband (speeds of 30 Mbps or above), but which are reliant on technology solutions not capable of delivering gigabit broadband speeds (for example, copper line services).
- Project Gigabit will consider premises for eligibility under the Gigabit Scheme if suppliers cannot provide gigabit capable infrastructure on a commercial basis within the next three years. The project is subject to internal approvals and Subsidy Control (State aid) approvals by BDUK in advance of procurement activities.
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