BBC News
Published
The first Optical Line Termination in Coalisland, County Tyrone, is now live.
Project Stratum aims to improve rural internet connectivity with 76,000 premises getting full-fibre broadband access.
Economy Minister Diane Dodds told BBC News NI that she hoped that 19,000 people would get connected by the end of 2021.
The Department for the Economy said a small number of premises had been connected in the initial phase. Fibrus (the company awarded the contract) expects the first 1,000 premises in the area to be released for customer orders at the end of March/early April, with a total of nearly 2,000 premises in the Coalisland area set for improved service once completed, a spokesperson said.