Project Stratum Broadband Funding – Confidence and Supply

The aim of Project Stratum is to deliver future-proofed broadband access to as many premises in the ‘intervention area’ as possible. The intervention area is, broadly, a list of all those rural premises in Northern Ireland who cannot yet get access to download speeds of at least 30Mbps. Up to £200m of funding could be made available to tackle this. Already £150m of new public funds from the Confidence and Supply Agreement could be released. If any premise is in the intervention area, it is one of the premises that could benefit from Project Stratum with this available funding.

The Department for the Economy is now asking the public to help ensure they have correctly identified all those postcodes that contain premises currently unable to access 30 megabits per second (Mbps) broadband services.

Residents and businesses are asked to check the lists published online here or visit our local council offices (Downpatrick and Monaghan Row, Newry) where hard copies have been made available.

The Project Stratum State aid Public Consultation guidelines (which you can download below) provides more detail on the first stage of the process and categorises all postcodes into three lists:

• ‘White’ areas are those in which there is no qualifying broadband infrastructure and none is likely to be developed within 3 years. These postcodes will be targeted for public investment through the Project;
• ‘Grey’ areas are those where only one network is present or is to be deployed within the coming 3 years. These postcodes will not be specifically targeted for public investment from the Project;
• ‘Black’ areas are those where at least two networks of different operators exist or will be deployed in the coming 3 years. These postcodes do not form part of the Project.

Please can you check if your post code is on the right list if you suffer from poor broadband and send your responses to Department for Telecoms no later than 12 noon on 14 January 2019:

Telecoms Branch
Department for the Economy
Netherleigh
Massey Avenue
Belfast
BT4 2JP

or

e-mail: [email protected].

Residents can also contact the Department for Economy, Telecoms branch directly about “Project Stratum” on 028 9052 9352 if unable to email details.